Li Lowry: NU’s International Education Visionary
Li Lowry is the director of International Education at Northwest University, overseeing all international students in the exchange, undergraduate, and graduate programs, as well as the Center for English Language Education (CELE). She also works alongside other institutions internally and externally.
Li was born in China and obtained her bachelor’s degree there in Aviation English before moving to the United States over 30 years ago. Before her role here at Northwest, she volunteered in work areas such as counseling, advocacy, and support for immigrants in New Zealand. “I found it to be rewarding, to see that you have supported someone, helped them, and advocated for them so that they can adjust to their new life. This was very meaningful for me,” she says as she reflects.
Her volunteer experience sparked her journey of working with international students. She started looking for work related to that field and landed her first official role at an institution in New Zealand in the International Education department as an international student advisor. Li wanted to further explore this career path because of her volunteer experience and her personal experience. Since she moved around from one country to the next, she faced adversity in adjusting to new cultures: “There’s this intimidation that’s present when you come into a new culture. You don't know if you're doing the right thing, or if you have the right cultural cue, or if you're saying the right thing, or if you’re dressed the right way. So it's really intimidating, and that's why I wanted to use my experience to help international students.”
After some time working in New Zealand, she moved to Washington and acquired a position working with international students at a local public institution. Eventually, she found Northwest University and applied for the role of an international student coordinator.
At the time, NU did not have an International Education department. There was the Center for English Language Education program, which focused on academic experiences and teaching English to non-native English speakers, and the International Student Services office (ISS), which focused on visa paperwork and general support for all international students at NU.
Li believed NU had a lot more to offer and imagined a combined department that could provide more holistic support to our international students. So she began the process of recruiting both staff and students and getting each department on board.
As with any substantial programmatic change at a university, this presented some challenges. Historically, NU’s international population had been small, so there was a lack of cultural awareness in the community when it came to supporting this student demographic. Li diligently worked with her growing team to raise awareness about the cultural challenges that international students may face, making sure they had the resources they needed—such as housing, social activities, and academic support—while emphasizing the importance of diversity and pushing for a culture of belonging for all international students at NU. Li championed this change, stating, “We want a diverse international student population, not just pockets of students from certain areas.”
As her office began expanding, she proposed to merge the CELE program with International Student Services. This crucial change allowed Northwest to have one singular department focused on all visa paperwork and international needs. This has created more organization and a better experience for our international students.
Not only did Li build a new, more robust International Education department from the ground up but was also promoted to the role of director while doing so. “We’re at a better place right now,” she says. “I think President Castleberry is doing a really good job emphasizing the importance of internationalizing our campus. This is our future, and we need to put in the effort. I think that message has resonated with people on campus, and departments are making an effort to create an inclusive and welcoming experience for our international students.”