Early International Students

The following photographs and documents highlight some of Indiana University's earliest international students, who originated from countries such as Japan, China, and Mexico.

In 1891, Takekuma Okada became the first Japanese student to graduate from Indiana University and the first international student to receive a graduate degree from IU. He later became the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

Born in 1870 in Fukushima, Japan, Masuji Miyakawa came to America when he was in his early twenties to attend school. In 1905, he became the Indiana University Law School’s first Asian American graduate. While in Bloomington he became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and would go on to become the first Japanese American admitted to the bar in the United States.

Showin Wetzen Hsu was the first Chinese student to graduate from Indiana University. After graduation, he returned to China to serve as a law compiler in the Councilor’s department. He earned his master’s degree in 1911 and became secretary of the Ministry of Education. By 1912, Hsu was a justice of the Supreme Court of China.

Letter from Showin Wetzen Hsu to the President of Indiana University

This letter was written by Showin Wetzen Hsu to Dr. William Lowe Bryan, President of Indiana University, on October 12, 1909.

Josephine Grima was from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. She was the first Mexican student to attend Indiana University, where she studied nursing in Indianapolis. After graduating in 1917, Grima joined the US Army Nurses Corps and served at Camp Devens during World War I.

This photograph of nurses at the Indiana University Training School for Nurses is presumed to include Josephine Grima. It was taking during the 1916-1917 school year.

Pictured: Unknown, Lloyd Chang, Tao Cheng, Unknown, Ya Hui Hsu, and Liang Sung. Ya Hui Hsu became the first woman from China to earn an IU Law degree in 1937.