Stress Management for International students (April 2025 work session)
Rudra Agrawal (Business Data Analytics), Jayant Jaiswal (Business Data Analytics), Parth Gupta (BS Computer Science), Vanshika Talwar (Business Data Analytics), Khushi Ghonia (Business Data Analytics), Dharmilkumar Desai (Business Data Analytics)
What's the problem?
Moving to a new country is exciting—but for international students, it also brings intense stress. Between language barriers, cultural differences, academic pressure, and homesickness, many struggle silently. Far from family and familiar systems of support, these students often feel isolated. Yet, mental health services aren’t always accessible or culturally inclusive. Our team realized that international students are juggling more than just school—they’re navigating a whole new world. That’s why we chose to tackle stress management in a way that understands their experience and empowers them with tools they can trust, relate to, and actually use.
International students face unique, compounding stressors—visa issues, cultural adjustment, academic pressure, and lack of nearby support. However, most stress management resources are generalized and miss their specific needs. Without culturally-aware, accessible solutions, these students remain vulnerable to burnout, anxiety, and academic decline in silence.
But First...
We interviewed international peers and used empathy-mapping to uncover stress points—from food culture shock to academic visa stress. Our brainstorming included campus buddy systems and offline kits, but the “aha” moment came when we realized students needed constant, private, portable help—something they could carry with them across borders and time zones.
Who is impacted?
International Students
Designing a better solution to the problem
We designed a Culturally-Inclusive Stress Support App tailored to international students. It features multilingual guided meditations, time zone-sensitive scheduling tools, peer chatrooms by region, and habit trackers. By combining community with personalized support, it meets students where they are—emotionally and geographically—and helps them manage stress effectively, even far from home.