Last July, Western welcomed Lily Cho as vice-provost and associate vice-president (International).
It was a homecoming of sorts for Cho, who first came to Western in 2004, after completing her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Riverside. She was a professor in (what was then) the department of English until 2010, before moving to York University where she served in a number of administrative roles including as associate dean for global and community engagement in the Faulty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.
As she approaches the anniversary of her first year in her current role, Western News sat down with Cho to learn how international students enrich life on campus and Western’s aspirations on the global stage.
Western News: How has it been returning to Western and seeing it through this role?
Lily Cho: It’s been wonderful to return to Western. From the first time I set foot here, I was struck by the beauty of this campus. Gorgeous buildings, beautiful grounds. But it’s not just that. Throughout it all, there’s this incredibly vibrant research and student life that unfolds here.
One of the ways I see our international students engage with our campus is through the view I’m privileged to have from my office, overlooking UC Hill. Last August, prior to OWeek, we had hundreds of students arriving from all over the world. Most of them were coming to campus for the first time. I loved watching everyone take selfies on the hill so they could share with their friends and family on social media. It is just so stunning here, it was non-stop.
You’re a first-generation scholar with a BA, MA and PhD in English, a researcher and author of two books. How does your lived experience shape how you approach your job?
LC: When I started my academic career as a graduate student and researcher, I felt very strongly that my personal story and trajectory shouldn’t be part of the work I do at the university. I wanted my work to be judged in and of itself. That changed when I took on leadership and administrative roles because I realized my story mattered to a lot of the students I was meeting with and in a lot of the rooms I was in.
When I was growing up, I didn’t have professors who looked like me. They were amazing, but no one reflected the experience I carried. It’s become important for me to talk about my experiences because I want other first-generation students and students who are racialized to know the university is a profoundly welcoming place and that there is a place for them here.
Can you share more about your upbringing?
LC: I was born in Canada, but English is not my first language because my parents did not speak English. I didn’t learn the language until I started school. That experience of trying to learn English, feeling foreign in the place where I was born was, and continues to be, something that shapes how I think about the world and what I want to bring to my work.
I’m grateful Western understands there are important parts of leadership portfolios where we need these kinds of experiences to inform and shape policy and key strategic decisions about how we show up for our students and our colleagues.
What was that like, entering school at four years old, not knowing the language of your peers and of the lessons you were taught?
LC: There were no ESL classes then. It was a very deep formative experience, but I wasn’t alone in it. Thousands of Canadians have had that experience.
I grew up in a working-class household and, despite some obstacles or challenges, to the credit of our public education system, I could attend first-rate universities and get a first-rate education. I’ve been given the tremendous privilege and honour of devoting my life to thinking about things that matter to me. I hope this resonates with other people too.
What percentage of Western’s student population do international students represent?
LC: About 27 per cent of our graduate students are international students and somewhere between 10 and 12 per cent of our undergraduate students are international.
They come from over 90 countries, with a wealth of cultural experience and depth of knowledge about parts of the world many of us haven’t seen or experienced. And they bring that to London, and to Western.
How does Western support international students?
LC: At Western, we offer a student experience that is second to none, and the focus of my team is to help our international students feel fully at the heart of the great things happening here.
We offer strong mental and physical wellness services and provide a number of career supports and access to strong alumni networks.
Western has the largest residence program in Ontario and the second largest in Canada, and we guarantee residence to all incoming first-year undergraduate students. Also, our housing team offers support tailored to help international students looking for off-campus housing even before they arrive in Canada. It’s the first program of its kind at any Canadian educational institution.
We also recognize some of our students may require support financially at some point during their university journey. To help offset costs, Western offers financial assistance to international students through scholarships, bursaries, work opportunities and emergency loans.
How can members of the Western community make international students feel welcome?
LC: When we think of the experience of being an international undergraduate student, they’re 18 years old and leaving home, often for the first time. It’s a big journey to go to a different country, with a very different climate, to pursue a course of study.
Just pausing to think about the courage required to take that journey is a really important starting point.
How can we open our ears, hearts and minds to the diverse experiences international students bring, and how can we honour and value those differences and allow them to enrich our perspectives and enhance our approach to the world?
International students have a deep desire to connect with the Western community, so one of the best things we can do is really engage (with them). Don’t be shy about asking questions and chatting.
What kind of formal opportunities exist on campus to support this type of engagement?
LC: I really encourage our students to consider dropping by our Global Cafés, which take place Thursday afternoons on campus during the academic year.
It’s a fun gathering where international and domestic students connect and learn from each other in a relaxed, informal way. In the space of five minutes at my first Global Café, I met students from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Sweden and from many countries all over the Middle East. Most were all meeting each other for the first time.
All members of the campus community can also participate in International Week (upcoming Nov. 18 to 22) to celebrate Western’s international community and learn more about international opportunities at home and abroad.
How is Western welcoming new international students who begin their studies in May?
LC: Our team at Western International offers International Student Orientation three times each year for students beginning in January, September and May.
For May’s Orientation, we are hosting a number of online information sessions and in-person social events, as well as a three-day drop-in Welcome Centre beginning on May 6. The Welcome Centre is where new students ask questions, get information and access helpful resources. They can also sign up for Western International programs, learn how to navigate campus and connect with staff and volunteers.

Student volunteers help welcome international students during International Student Orientation, which runs three times annually. (Western International)
In January, the government announced a temporary two-year cap on Canadian study permits, bringing a lot of media attention to the experience of international students. How does this cap affect Western and its international students?
LC: Despite the cap, Western remains committed to responsible growth in international enrolment. I’m proud to be part of a leadership team that believes great educational and social experiences require a mix of domestic and international students who bring diverse research strengths and multicultural perspectives to the entire community.
We are fortunate Western was already approaching international student recruitment in a responsible way that emphasized student supports and housing, so the study permit cap will not have an overwhelming impact on how many new undergraduate international students we’re able to welcome to Western.
Tell me a bit about Western in the World, our global engagement plan launched in September 2023.
LC: It’s incredibly exciting to be part of an ambitious global engagement plan to strengthen Western’s efforts to make greater impact in pursuit of a more sustainable, just and inclusive society.
We are already part of important global conversations and I’m excited to be part of a plan to increase Western’s presence around the world and its impact in key regions.
There are often geopolitical tensions throughout the world. Universities have a role to make conversations across borders happen, to bring people together. That is ultimately what a global engagement plan does. It will help Western be part of making these global conversations richer, bigger and better.
A vital part of my role is to identify opportunities and develop plans that will allow us to strengthen our existing international partnerships and collaborations, as well as to build new strategic relationships.

Lily Cho shares Western International’s Global Engagement plan, launched September 2023. (Nyren Mo)
As Western approaches its 150th anniversary, what is your vision in terms of international recruitment and global opportunities?
LC: I hope more international undergraduate students will come here to experience a fantastic education and more of our students will experience the world through field trips, exchanges and other learning opportunities.
We know students who include some international experience as part of their education are much richer for it. They’re more employable, they have much better outcomes in terms of their careers.
I really encourage our students, both international and domestic, to take advantage of the incredible array of opportunities we have to study abroad.
The world needs Western and Western needs the world.
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Lily Cho presents her research during Asian Heritage Month 2024
Mass Capture: Photography and Chinese Exclusion in Canada
For the last decade, Lily Cho has conducted extensive research into the role of photography in implementing and enforcing the Chinese head tax and the exclusion of Chinese migrants from Canada during the years of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-1947).
Cho is presenting findings from her award-winning book Mass Capture: Photography and Chinese Exclusion In Canada during Asian Heritage Month 2024 celebrations, hosted by Western’s office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Her talk takes place May 30 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the International Graduate Affairs Building atrium. Register to attend.