"When a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on March 28 in Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar, 20-year-old Kyi Noo Khin watched the walls of her family home crack and crumble. For a moment, she thought she might lose everything. In June, while still recovering from the aftermath of the quake, another kind of shock struck her. "It was unexpected, honestly," Noo Khin said of the Trump administration's ban on visas from 12 countries, including Myanmar. "I was waiting for my visa interview appointment when the announcement came out.""
"In December 2024, Noo Khin was accepted by Kenyon College in Ohio through early decision, a process that allows high school students to apply to a college early, and if accepted, serves as a binding commitment to attend. She was overjoyed that she was accepted and had already applied for a student visa when she heard the news from the Trump administration. Now, her years of study and thousands of dollars invested in U.S. college applications, standardized tests, school deposit and visa fees, and other costs all seem wasted. "All I needed was visa approval; only one final step left," she said in an email interview with Prism, describing the emotional damage caused by the ban."
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Mandalay on March 28, damaging Kyi Noo Khin’s family home and leaving her recovering from physical and emotional losses. In December 2024 she secured early-decision acceptance to Kenyon College in Ohio and applied for a student visa. In June, a Trump administration ban on visas from 12 countries, including Myanmar, prevented her visa interview and halted her plans. Years of academic preparation and thousands of dollars in application and testing fees now feel wasted. The combined impact of the earthquake and the visa ban produced financial strain and emotional distress.
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