TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida has launched a fundraising effort to help support international students who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

What You Need To Know


  • USF World International Student Support Fund website

  • Many international students unable to return home due to the pandemic

  • Others have families who have lost jobs in their native countries due to the pandemic

  • More coronavirus stories

USF student Gustavo Spangher has no idea when he’ll be able to spend time with his family in Brazil again.

He’s one of thousands of international students stranded in the United States due to the coronavirus crisis. 

“I’m lucky I still have a job in student government and that’s what enabled me to stay here," Spangher explained. "But I have a lot of international student friends who had to go home out of the blue; they didn’t expect it."

To make financial matters worse, Brazil’s currency is lower than the U.S. dollar.

Fellow Brazilian Isabella Marques is spending her summer in Orlando — with no income coming in.

“Living here and paying for my studies, its just a lot more expensive nowadays than it was before,” Marques said.

To help, USF launched the USF World International Student Support Fund.

“It’s really important for us as a nation and as a community to support [international students’] success because they’re coming out of USF and going into the workforce in jobs where we have a deficit of knowledge and expertise,” said USF World interim VP Kiki Caruson.

“Because we don’t get government assistance, any donation to the fund is like so much more impactful,” Spangher said.​

Anyone can donate to the crowdsourced effort. Just visit the USF HerdFunder website.