(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on "NewsDepth," the Trump administration has reinstated visas for international students.

The cost of college has skyrocketed in the last three decades.

A welder answers your questions about their job.

And we take a moment to be mindful.

NewsDepth is now.

(upbeat music) International students across the country have a moment of relief following weeks of legal uncertainty.

Hello everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

More than a thousand students, academics and recent graduates, had their visas or international student status revoked in the past month as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

A visa is an official document that allows a person to enter or stay in a country for a determined period of time.

The Trump administration has now walked back the decision to terminate the status of foreign students studying in the United States.

The dramatic shift follows a flurry of legal action filed by students who said their legal status was being canceled without explanation.

Ubah Ali has more.

- [Ubah] After weeks of legal uncertainty for international students.

- For the students who have heard this positive news, it's a lot of relief for them.

- [Ubah] Relieved after being concerned that they could be deported.

The Trump administration is now walking back the decision to terminate the status of thousands of students studying in the United States.

The decision to reinstate students SEVIS accounts, a government student visa system comes after ICE terminated records across several metro campuses often times without notice, according to the students.

These particular terminations expected students to leave immediately.

They were expecting students to self deport.

- [Ubah] Instead immigration attorney David Wilson filed lawsuits for several clients against ICE and just last week, a federal judge ordered ICE to temporarily reinstate two of his clients legal status.

- And I have others pending, but I've asked the court to hold onto them, waiting to see what this new policy from ICE is.

- [Ubah] In court Friday, a justice department attorney said, "ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.

Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain active."

That impact here almost immediate.

Over at St.

Cloud State University, seven students out of eight had their visas reinstated.

At Mankato State University, eight out of 12 students are now active.

And right here in Minneapolis, University of Minnesota says four out of 11 students statuses have been reactivated.

For now, Wilson says this gives students a chance to continue studying without fear.

- I guess we'll just have to brace these next four years.

- I see it as a very positive step but i don't think this is the end of the discussion.

- Thank you, Ubah.

Federal administration changes in education are also affecting university staffing, courses, and research.

The Honolulu Community is in shock after the University of Hawaii President announced the Trump administration has canceled 30 million dollars in federal grants.

Mahealani Richardson has the details.

- [Mahealani] At UH Manoa, advocates and students gathered for a national day of action for higher education to defend academic freedom.

The event is happening during rapid changes by the Trump administration being felt right now.

- As of april 15th, 36 research programs have been terminated, issued stop work orders, or in the process of being phased out.

These programs represent approximately 30 million dollars in federal funding and have affected more than 40 employees.

- [Mahealani] These are the impacted program, Hensels says are no longer prioritized by the federal administration, including research related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, sustainability, renewable energy, climate change and minority health disparities.

- It's terrifying.

I mean, clearly we are dealing with a situation that hasn't happened to higher education in the United States.

- We have to work through this together.

This is about us as a community, supporting and living the values that we believe in.

- [Mahealani] Due to these funding cuts, should lawmakers go into a special session?

- If need be, yes.

And our house leadership has told house lawmakers to expect three different special sessions later on in this year.

- [Mahealani] UH says it's unclear how many specific employees would lose their jobs, but Hensel previously said 2500 jobs could be lost from funding cuts.

- There is significant concern among our community for what is happening and of course, we share that concern.

- Thank you, Mahealani The cost of college has skyrocketed in the last 30 years.

To help make a degree more accessible to some, Harvard University recently announced they'll offer free tuition for students from families making $200,000 or less.

Undergraduate tuition was roughly $56,000 this year at Harvard.

So why is college so expensive?

In today's consumer watch, Jenn Sullivan looks at the numbers and what students can do to help cut down the costs.

- [Jenn] The cost of college has risen dramatically in the last three decades.

Inflation and increasing operating costs have caused colleges to charge more.

They're also receiving less federal funding.

- There's no doubt that college in the US is expensive.

- [Jenn] Alex Gailey is an analyst at financial company, Bankrate.

They recently broke down the cost of tuition plus fees like room and board for this current academic year and estimated the average in state tuition and room and board at a public four year college was nearly $25,000 a year.

Out of state students paid of an average of $44,000 dollars a year.

A private four-year college cost close to $59,000 dollars a year.

- I think people just aren't feeling like maybe the ROI of college degrees is the same as it was a few decades ago.

- [Jenn] There are things students can do to lower some of these costs - One way to immediately cut down the cost of college is being willing to attend a college that is near where you live and living at home.

- [Jenn] Consider attending a community college and then transferring to a four-year college.

Apply for work-study jobs.

Look into financial help like student loans, scholarships and grants.

And choose a degree with a positive return on your investment.

- Thank you, Jenn for those tips to consider when applying to colleges.

And that brings us to our poll for the week.

Are you thinking about going to college?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between yes, i want to go to a 4-year college, yes, i want to go to a 2-year college, I'm considering going to trade school, no, I have other plans or I don't know, I'm still weighing all my options.

On our last episode, we learned about environmental groups urging state leaders in Hawaii to pass a tourist tax.

And we wanted to hear your opinion on the matter.

Do you think a tourist tax to protect our natural resources is a good idea?

About 70% of you voted for yes, our natural resources should be protected.

While another 30% of you said no because it's unfair to the people visiting.

Thank you all for voting.

Lawyer, doctor, engineer, all career paths young students often wish to follow.

But a California High School is introducing a different trade that could guarantee a job and a good pay, welding.

Rina Nakano has the details of how the trade is giving students a new lease at life.

- [Rina] Sparks fly, not only when you're in love, but when you find your passion.

- Its cool, miss 'cause we're going to learn a lot.

- [Rina] He's a well-mannered 17-year old who addresses people as miss and mister.

But Randy Luna admits, he wasn't always like this.

In 6th grade, he was a model student.

But after his brothers death, Luna gave up on graduating.

- Last year I had no hope.

- [Rina] Until he enrolled in Vista High School in the fall, the continuation program at Lynwood Unified School District.

Word of an off-campus class sparked his interest.

- Welding is joining materials by pressure, by heat.

- [Rina] Pamela Richardson is the welding professor at Compton College.

A few years ago, she began offering her program to Vista High School students, to not only get high school credit, but also college credit and become trade-certified.

- They can take the license they get from here and work at Timbuktu if they wanted to and work, same credential.

- [Rina] The American Welding Society predicts a shortage of about 360 thousand welders by 2027.

With more than half of the worlds man-made products requiring welding, its a well-paying, high-demand job.

- Everything is welded together, so i feel like its a really important thing to learn.

- [Rina] Luna says every lesson here is fascinating.

Since starting the program, he's regained his motivation.

He's now passing all his classes and is on track to graduate.

- Sometimes we need to be in a different environment to see how great we are, and this welding program provides our student a unique opportunity to learn something different, and get some hands on experiences.

- Luna tells me if his brother can see him now, he'd would be so proud of him.

He fights back tears.

- To do it for my nephew, and that he's seen a change in me, miss.

I feel like that's what he'd tell me.

- [Rina] Each spark a message from his brother, reminding him to never give up.

- Thank you, Rina.

The welding profession plays a crucial role in building infrastructure, supporting manufacturing, and ensuring the safety and durability of structures worldwide.

Welders are highly trained specialists who work with metal, often in demanding environments where precision, focus, and technical skill are critical.

They must be proficient in different welding methods, as well as metal preparation, safety standards, and blueprint reading.

Welders use specialized equipment and protective gear to perform precise work while maintaining safety in high-temperature conditions.

To become a welder, a person needs a high school diploma or GED and either vocational training or some sort of certification.

Vocational means it's related to a specific occupation and skills.

The average salary for a welder in the United States is around $43,000 dollars a year.

For our last career callout of the season, the owners of DDT Welding and Fabrication is here to answer some of your questions about their job.

Check it out.

(gentle music) I am Tanterruous Johnson.

I am part owner of three of us of DDT Welding and Fabrication.

- Hi, my name is Dez Ingram.

I am a foreman and the owner of DDT Welding and Fabrication.

Jack from Hardin Middle School in Lakewood wrote, "My question for you is how did you learn to become a welder?

Did you have to go to college or take special classes?"

Yeah, i went to Lakeland Community College over in Kirtland, Ohio.

I was there for, I would say about two and a half years for welding school.

And after that, I got a good job to start travel welding after that.

- "What is your favorite part about your job?

Why did you pick this job?"

Well, let's go back to the beginning.

I picked the job because I'm a country guy.

I like using my hands.

And when i was young, I didn't really have anything i wanted to do, you know, that I had a knowledge of wanting to do.

And I saw that and like, hey, they pay good money and it's all about your skills.

So it's good for me.

Saving the day, most times we'll just save days.

So i think my favorite part is actually when it's like, when the big bosses come to you and they know like, if anybody can do it, this guy can.

And like, for me, that's one of the best feelings about this all.

- Richard from Strongsville Middle School wanted to know, what are your most common things you weld?

The normal welding metals we mostly do is carbon steel, but we also do aluminum steel and stainless steel.

For us, what we're actually welding, from when I was a travel welder for the past six, seven years, we were traveling around the country welding storage tanks for gasoline and crude oil for refineries.

But nowadays, we're just in our shop, welding whatever people might need to be fixed.

- Camden, "How does welding work?"

Welding is basically the process of joining two metals together by melting the metal.

What makes you a good welder is when you can basically fuse those two metals together and make them look pretty.

- So we got Isabel from St. Mary's in Sandusky asked, "How hot does it need to be for metals to stick together?"

That is extremely hot.

I think the average, like if you're doing stick welding, what we mostly do, it's around 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 5,000 Celsius.

- This was a crazy answer.

The outermost layer of the sun.

That's the heat of welding.

We talking anywhere from 5,000 degrees to 9,000 degree, no, from 9,00 degrees to 5,000 Celsius.

We're talking the core of the earth, volcanic type heats here.

And which honestly like the question that you gave, I saw it earlier and I did my research on it.

I was like, this question I didn't really know.

I didn't know that one.

Me and my friends, the other owners, you put us at a, you made us be like, oh man, that's a great question.

And then the answer they gave us was like, oh man, that explains so much.

'Cause you gotta think when you're welding, you gonna weld at least like a foot.

It's gonna take you at least three minutes to weld.

So for three minutes, you're like a foot and a half away from 5,000, 9,000 degrees lava.

Something to think about.

- Special thanks to Tanterruous and Dez for answering our questions and all of you for helping us come up with interview questions for that segment.

Now, do you remember our friend Lalo?

Well, Lalo is in the studio with us today.

And he is very excited to share this week's Petting Zoo story.

Let's not keep him waiting.

Are you ready for your close-up, Lalo?

(Lalo barking) Ah, there he is.

Hi, Lalo.

Wait, you're operating a camera today?

I see, you're trying to learn a new skill.

I think it's great that you want to learn more about our production.

Okay, what did you find for us today?

Wow, it a story about a 6-year-old boy who started his own "poop scooping" business to adopt a cat.

I love the entrepreneurial spirit.

To see if he reached his goal so he can adopt a cat, you can check out the full story on newsdepth.org What a fun story and of course, thank you, Lalo.

Well, believe it or not, this school year is almost over.

And students may have a lot on their plates, from practices and performances, to end of year work.

But as the semester starts to wind down, tension tends to shoot up and sometimes anxiety can look different in children and teens than it does in adults.

In today's Health Minute, Mandy Gaither has more on the surprising signs of academic anxiety.

- [Mandy] From end of semester projects, to finals, tests and quizzes, this time of year can feel a little overwhelming.

- For a lot of kids, it can feel immensely stressful.

- [Mandy] Licensed therapist Jody Baumstein with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta says, academic anxiety can have some surprising signs in students, they may start to procrastinate in the morning, try to miss the bus, they may skip class, talk back to teachers or they may not be able to complete assignments.

Baumstein says these signs may seem like behavioral issues, but that's not always the case.

- We really want to get curious about what they're communicating and make sure we're getting to the root, because for some kids, it's actually anxiety.

- [Mandy] That starts with opening up a dialogue with your child, Baumstein says to ask open-ended questions and listen to understand, not just to respond.

Then validate and normalize what they're going through and focus on the effort they've put into school work all year, not just the outcome.

- They're worried that they might not get that perfect grade.

They're gonna be feeling really intense pressure.

- [Mandy] And if a child seems to be really struggling, Baumstein says reach out for help.

- They're not able to go to school, they can't sleep, they're no longer engaging in activities they used to enjoy.

They're withdrawing from their friends, they're not talking, they're tearful.

These are signs you really want to pay attention to.

And we don't want to wait until it's bubbled up to a point of crisis.

Thanks, Mandy.

For our write to us this Week, we'd like to know how do you deal with school anxiety?

Students can use our inbox form online or send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org to share their tips.

Here's a tip that I use when I'm starting to feel anxious.

I put on some calming music and take deep breaths for a few moments.

Let's give it a try together.

(breathing slowly) I'm starting to feel a little calmer now.

I hope you got something out of that short break as well.

I learned that tip from an elementary school in Cleveland Heights.

They start each school day with a calming ritual, listening to classical music through a program called Mindful Music Moments.

The initiative, which plays short music segments and mindfulness prompts over the loudspeakers, helps students and teachers alike feel centered and ready to learn.

Designed by Cincinnati educator Stacy Sims and supported by the Cleveland Orchestra, the program is now used in more than 100 schools nationwide.

David C Barnett has more for this week's Sketchbook.

- [David] Chase is a third grader at Canterbury Wlementary in Cleveland Heights.

He loves it when his mom cooks up some breakfast for him before school, but that doesn't happen very often.

- Most of the time, when i wake up, she's gone to work, so my dad has to get himself ready, he has to iron my clothes, he has to get my sister ready too.

- Good morning.

- [Teacher] Good morning.

- [David] But for the past year and a half, he's been able to leave some of that stress behind when he gets to the classroom.

Every morning at 9 o'clock, students at Canterbury stop for a moment and listen to a few minutes of Cleveland Orchestra music.

- [David] This exercise is part of an Ohio-grown relaxation program called Mindful Music Moments.

The daily music segments are about four minutes long in total, which includes a brief spoken introduction followed by a three-minute musical selection.

- For the whole week you listen to the same song, but there are different activities that are included each day of the week, whether it be listen to the music, or try to find the pace of the music, or try to align your breath to the pace of the music, different things like that.

- [David] Mckenna lives in Cleveland Heights with her mom.

She's a K-pop and a hip hop fan, but she says she kinda likes this classical stuff that she's been hearing in the mornings.

- I like it a lot.

I just kinda want to calm down.

Really have to rush to get ready, have to eat breakfast really quickly, and so, when i get to school, everyone's like it's gonna be a long day.

- [David] The program is currently in place at over 100 schools across the country.

It's the brainchild of Cincinnati yoga and movement educator, Stacy Sims, who also help trauma victims relax.

- And when you hear about it, the light bulb just goes off, and I thought, we've gotta try that up here in Cleveland.

- [David] Joan Katz Napoli has run the Cleveland Orchestra's education efforts for the past 24 years, working with Cleveland Area Schools to supplement their music programs.

In addition to the music, participating schools get supplemental background materials and fun facts the teachers can work into their lesson plans.

- A fun fact might be that Mozart started composing at the age of five.

And if you're working with young kids, that's mind boggling.

- [David] Carin has fond memories of the first time the music was played in her classroom.

- So they said imagine yourself that you just an Olympic.

And it felt really good to imagine that.

- [David] And for the orchestra, there's the potential for a new generation of listeners.

Mckenna says the music has really grown on her, and it's almost a letdown when that three-minute morning dose is over.

- I wish it would replay 'cause I just want to listen to it.

- We really try to make this place a special place and to build a relationship with them in a place that they feel safe.

And here they are now.

Can you give us a nice wave?

- [David] Erica Wigton notes that there are many things that can help with school climate.

She sees mindful music moments as one strategy to make school less stressful as the children are learning to cope with an increasingly frantic world.

- It's definitely a permanent program that we're gonna continue to use every day, just because we want to start their day on a beautiful, calm way so they're ready to learn.

- Special thanks to David and Mary, former members of our arts team for sharing that story with us.

You know, one of the things that makes NewsDepth possible is teamwork.

Here at NewsDepth headquarters, we have about 5 people, the dog and one lizard, that work together to get each episode out to you.

Our team recently got this letter from Charlotte, nominating the Channel 10 team at Kensington Intermediate School in Rocky River for this week's A+ Award.

This team of nearly 80 fifth graders produces a news video every single day that not only shares the day's announcements, but also the weather and high school sports updates.

Go pirates!

The more than 130 episodes a year also cover special segments that feature things like Cleveland sports updates and interviews with high school students.

Carter told us that any fifth grade student that's interested can participate.

All they have to do is fill out an application.

The students are all given different jobs and days to work.

That makes it easier for Mr. Pfahl to make sure everyone is included.

Carter explained that some students work on the script, others do research, and some are even on screen talent, kinda like me.

Carter joked that the nice thing is you don't have to be perfect because you can always retape if you mess something up.

Let me tell you, the same thing applies to NewsDepth.

That retaping has saved me more times than you believe.

Madeline told us that her experience with Channel 10 has really helped her with speaking in public and her work has even helped her start making her own movies.

That is awesome.

I'm definitely watching those movies.

Keep it up, Madeline!

Emma said that one of the keys to success is being confident.

I can certainly say she's right, but sometimes I still get nervous when I know how many of you are watching me every week.

Charlotte told us that one of the really cool features of Channel 10 is that they have a tip line.

Students or teachers can email Channel 10 videos and story ideas.

She told us that they even cover students who are doing neat things outside of school.

That's a super good idea.

All of you watching can always email your story suggestions to us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Lucy summed it all up perfectly.

She told us that the best part of Channel 10 is how well all of the students work together and that it's one of the best teams she's ever been a part of.

Here's a big NewsDepth A+ Award.

Congratulations to the Channel 10 team at Kensington Intermediate School.

Keep it up.

We are almost out of time for this episode of NewsDepth, but I do have to give out a couple of shout outs.

But it's not to teachers, or even students, this time is to your pets.

Luke from sacred heart school in Wadsworth sent us this letter along with a picture of his tiny little puppy.

Kidding!

His dog is huge!

Luke wrote, "I love Newshound so much that I wanted to show my dog.

He is an English Mastiff and weighs 188 pounds.

Madison from Shaw Elementary in Beavercreek drew her dogs, Amber and Porter.

"I love seeing all the stories.

I also love the Petting Zoo.

Newshound does a great job."

Check out your new friends, Newshound.

And Owen from Gillis Suite Elementary in Fairview Park says, "Dear NewsDepth, my whole class loves watching you every Friday, and my favorite part is when Newshound types on his keyboard.

My dog also loves Newshound and is scared of Gabriel Kramer.

Nothing to be afraid of over here.

Thank you all for sending in your letters.

I love reading them and getting to know all of you.

Well, I think that's all the time we have for this week's episode of NewsDepth.

But don't worry, we still have one more episode coming next week before the end of the season.

Teachers, we'd love to hear how we did this season.

To share your feedback with us, you can fill-out the end of season survey linked at the bottom of this episode page.

And students, you know we always want to hear from you as well.

And there are plenty of ways you can stay in touch with us.

You can send a letter, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, that's Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here, 44115.

And you can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough, so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] NewsDepth is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

Career callouts featured in NewsDepth are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.