While you are in F-1 practical training status you may apply for the H-1B work visa. This visa is what 95% of foreign students who wish to work in the U.S. obtain while in F-1 practical training status.
Another variant is the sash, which is a cloth belt designed to hold a robe together. A sash is usually tied about the waist. The Japanese equivalent of a sash, which is used for holding a kimono or yukata together, is called an obi.
My Chabad rabbi always puts on a black sash before praying. We joke that it is because he has attained a black belt in prayer arts. But seriously, what is the meaning of that sash? The black belt you refer to is called a gartel in Yiddish (similar to the English word girdle1).