<strong>Sara Parrott is assistant director of international student services at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She graduated from Southwest Baptist University with an undergraduate degree in intercultural studies. She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Matthew, and fellowships with Midtown Baptist Church.
How do you describe your work?
As an international student adviser, I help international students to navigate immigration and cultural issues as they adjust to university life in the United States. I spend a lot of time corresponding with prospective students, helping them through admissions and the visa interview process and assisting them with their arrival plans. Students often stop by to meet with me for various needs, mostly about their future plans like employment. I also do a lot of training to help educate students on the responsibilities and benefits of their immigration status. In addition, I keep the university in compliance with immigration regulations, reporting to the State Department and Homeland Security and keeping abreast of legal changes that affect our students.
As an image-bearer of God, how does your work reflect some aspect of God’s work?
It’s been really fun for me to see how God is at work in the world. I’m often humbled and excited to see different aspects of God’s character in different cultures, like seeing strong hospitality in some cultures or a strong sense of justice in other cultures. It reminds me that God is involved in the lives of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Another motivating factor in my job is seeing students, particularly women, who for various reasons may not have had opportunities for equal education now succeeding in their classes.
How does your work give you a unique vantage point into the brokenness of the world?
There is a wide range of emotions that walk through my door every 30 minutes. As beautiful as it is to see God’s glory shine through different cultures, it’s also difficult to see systemic effects of sin in them. I see how sin separates us both from God and one another. I’ve never been more aware of prejudice and racism—whether it’s people on campus who treat international students differently or international students themselves who are prejudiced against other cultures. Our tendency is to reject “the other.” I’ve also seen the fallout of recent world events up close and personal. We have dozens of families from Iraq and Syria, for example, and I hear firsthand what is happening to their people. It makes the tragedy very real.
Jesus commands us to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” How does your work function as an opportunity to love and serve others?
Lately, I’ve felt convicted to listen. I’ve realized that simply listening is a way to serve others. Since I’m an adviser, sometimes it’s easy for me to hear their problem, identify the solution, and start talking—even cutting them off mid-sentence because I might know what they are going to say. But listening has helped me to understand the situation, hear their pain or their dreams, and then think through their options. This helps students feel validated because they have an advocate. Even if the options aren’t the best options, they know they have been heard.
