Consular Officer Encourages High School Students to Invest in Their Future

February 1, 2012

Students at C.I. Gibson Sr. High listen to Vice Consul Sally Sternal as she talks about studying in the US.

“Pursuing higher education opportunities is an important way of investing in your future.  You should not take this lightly.”  These comments came from Mrs. Sally Sternal, the U.S. Embassy’s Chief of the Non-Immigrant Visa Unit as she addressed senior high students during two outreach events held at C.I. Gibson Senior High on January 13 and at St. John’s College on January 19.  Over 300 students and parents attended both seminars designed to encourage students to prepare for college and consider a wide range of schools - including small independent colleges, universities and community colleges in the United States.

Mrs. Sternal’s participation in the two college-prep events is part of a U.S. Embassy effort to promote international study opportunities in support U.S. President Obama’s hemisphere-wide “100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative,” which he announced during his trip to Chile in March.  The goal of the “100,000 Strong” initiative is to ensure students throughout the region are prepared for the 21st Century global workforce through increased understanding and greater international collaboration between universities and educational institutions.

During the two events at St. John’s and C.I. Gibson, Mrs. Sternal dedicated a large portion of her presentation to the visa process.  She encouraged students to come to the U.S. Embassy fully prepared because the interviewing officer will want to hear first-hand about their goals and aspirations, and why they want to study in the United States.  She also noted that parents are not permitted to the interview. 

“In addition to providing information on academic plan, student must also be able to demonstrate to the consular officer that they have strong ties to The Bahamas,” Ms. Sternal told the group.  “Just like all visa applicants, students must demonstrate their intent to return to The Bahamas upon completion of their education.”

According to the Institute of International Education’s 2011 Open Doors report, 1720  Bahamian students attended U.S. colleges and universities during the 2010/2011 academic year with Saint John's University/College of St Benedict in Minnesota and Kent State University in Ohio leading the way with the highest number of Bahamian undergraduate and graduate students respectively.

During her two presentations, Mrs. Sternal also encouraged students to apply for their student visas well in advance of their school’s start date to avoid the busy summer months when a large number of Bahamians traditionally apply for visas for summer cruise travel.  She also noted that students are eligible to apply for a student visa up to 120-days before the start of the academic year, and may enter the United States up to 30-days before their school starts.

For additional information on how to apply for a student visa, please visit the U.S. Embassy Nassau’s website at http://nassau.usembassy.gov and select the “Non-immigrant Visa” tabs.  For information on study options in the United States and a step-by-step guide, please visit http://educationusa.state.gov