2016 Presidential Election: What an International Student Sees

By ANDY CHO

MAHWAH, N.J. – With only a couple months left until the 45^th President of the United States is elected, the remaining candidates are doing whatever they can to give themselves an edge.

By now, many Americans already know which candidate they are supporting. But little is known about who international students favor.

“I had and still have faith in the American political system, coming from a country with a corrupted political culture,” said Thanuka Udumulla Dananjaya, an international student at Ramapo College from Sri Lanka.  “But, this whole race is making me question the system in States, and not only that but the people themselves.”

According to the voting statistics from Statistic Brain, approximately 146 million people in the U.S. are registered to vote. In addition, only 58.5% of those aged 18-24 are registered to vote.

The candidates’ appeal to different groups can be depicted regionally (states and caucuses), by race and also by age. For example, it has become a massive trend that Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders is attracting a huge chunk of millennials in America.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the entrance polls at the Iowa caucuses show that Senator Sanders topped Hilary Clinton 84 percent to 14 percent among voters aged between 17 and 29.

While the millennial-favoritism of Sanders, along with other age groups and regions are heavily documented, not much is known about the perspectives from a foreign millennial, an international college student.

One particular international student who has come to the U.S. from overseas, has a different viewpoint of the current political race from American citizens.

Meet Thanuka
Junior at Ramapo College, Dananjaya, 22, left his home country of Sri Lanka to attend college in America.

Growing up in Sri Lanka and out of a middle class family, he knew that he had to work hard to achieve his goal and get to where he is today.

He decided to come to the U.S. with his future and career in mind. “I chose to study abroad because the United States has a better education system with better opportunities for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) majors. I plan to attend Columbia University for a graduate degree upon graduating from Ramapo and pursue a career in research science,” Dananjaya said.

Adjusting to a new country, culture and people went rather smoothly, he admitted. He believes it had to do with his outgoing personality and involvement with the school.

Nicknamed “TK” by friends and professors, Dananjaya has been very involved ever since his arrival, such as being elected as president for the Bischoff Hall Residence Hall Committee in his first year. He was also honored with Ramapo’s Outstanding Leadership award last year, and embraces the position of a Resident Assistant this year.

A New Perspective
Having experienced and followed the political system of both the United States and Sri Lanka, he noticed similarities but mostly differences. “Our country has a multi-party system where there are countless number of political parties. However, our system is very corrupted. Politicians often use public money for their gain and this retards the progress of the nation,” he said.

He continued, “A handful of our politicians are also former athletes and movie stars who gains followers through their popularity, similar to what [Donald] Trump is doing right now. I believe this decreases the standard of politics since they have no idea how to run a country.”

As this is Dananjaya’s first time taking in America’s presidential election up front, his initial expectations weren’t even close to being met.

This race has been anything but ordinary. From Republican-leading Donald Trump’s ludicrous statements about banning all Muslims, to the allegations of Ted Cruz secretly being the Zodiac Killer, to candidates firing shots at each other on social media, and to the circus-like environment of the political debates, no U.S. presidential race has ever transpired like this.

Dananjaya admitted to being somewhat taken aback by it, acknowledging Trump and his success in the primaries.

“I was utterly surprised that Donald Trump, a non-politician, actually ran and is winning the Republican candidate race. I can’t believe that so many Americans are fully committed to his outrageous theories,” he said.

He also addressed his frustration of not having a real say in this election, as he is a non-citizen and cannot vote. “Even though we are not citizens, we are still part of this society and we too will be affected,” he said. “So not being able to vote as international students takes away our credibility to voice our political opinions.”

However, if he was eligible to vote, he said that he would vote for Bernie Sanders. He believes that he advocates the most logical political policies out of all of the candidates. He also considers the senator to be the most genuine and consistent candidate, in terms of his position on various issues.

Dananjaya’s reasoning is very similar to that of millions of American millennials. A few prominent attributes that make Sanders so appealing and likable to the young generation are his millennial-friendly policies, his underdog story, and his persona that just seems different from the rest.

He predicts that if Sanders were to win the election and become the new president, his life and aspirations in this country likely won’t change for the better or worse.

“No matter who wins, I am aware that the college tuition system will not change for and affect current students. Still, Sanders is much more lenient towards immigrants, unlike Trump who is rather tyrannical. I don’t think Sanders will necessarily benefit my future, but won’t make it any tougher, which is the case with Trump,” he said.

With one final year left at Ramapo, Dananjaya hopes to make more strides toward his career path and take full advantage of whatever is presented to him. He continues to follow the presidential race, despite not having a real “voice” in the matter.