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Features International students

Inside the life of an international student

Every day brings new adventures, challenges and opportunities for a student coming from abroad.

By

Selena Phillips-Boyle

May 26, 2025

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Kevin Samuel
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On August 22, 2024, Kevin Samuel arrived in Montréal from his native Kenya, after what he described as “the longest flight of [his] life.” At the age of 43, Kevin was embarking on a minimum three-year stay in the Quebec metropolis to pursue a PhD in Public Health at the Université de Montréal. His studies would focus on microdosing dried psychedelic mushrooms to treat depression.
Navigating through the bustling, unfamiliar streets, he successfully arrived on campus to meet his supervisor, Rod Knight, and his new colleagues.
In the evenings, Kevin took the opportunity to gather with friends to share stories, cook traditional meals and celebrate their different cultures. A practising Buddhist, he joined an online meditation group. Experiences such as these help international students to feel at home, even when they’re thousands of kilometres from their homeland.

Photography: Selena Phillips-Boyle
Written by: Marie-Lou Bernatchez

Selena Phillips-Boyle

Selena Phillips-Boyle is a lens-based visual artist living in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, Canada) working at the intersections of labour, gender and sexuality.

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