Profile of Mariana Osorio - Download mp3 - Download (MP3)
Profile of Mariana Osorio - Download mp3 - Listen (MP3)
Finding employment in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil is quite challenging says, Mariana Osorio. Attending college in the United States is not only important for Mariana's future, but essential for her to later be able to go back home and work. “In Brazil where I am from it is extremely hard now a days to find a job and companies are extremely picky and I have experience in a different country especially in the United States plus to be fluent in English and writing and also in speaking is extremely important for you to get a better job,” she says.
“They value a lot this experience because I have also been here alone so I had to go through a lot of things and I had to make decisions by myself. I don’t have anyone that can help me with that because my parents are really far away,” she says. “So you also develop skills like how to handle situations, how to think fast, how to not depend on anyone so these are some skills that companies are looking for now a days especially with globalization we have a lot of international companies in Brazil so we would be dealing with different cultures, different countries and they want people that can live for a while in other country or maybe know how to travel to a different country and how to communicate and everything else.”
Mariana already has one degree. Now, she is working on a post bachelor’s degree, which she explains. “I decided to come to the United States to have my post bachelor’s in professional writing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD). It is a post bachelor’s. It is not undergrad and it is not a master’s program yet, but it is a post bachelor’s a program that you do after you graduate from undergraduate and it is more specific because I already have a degree in journalism and in my country for you to get a better job it is extremely important for you to be fluent in English.”
In 2006, Mariana was here studying English. The twenty-four year old says her coursework at the University of Minnesota-Duluth now consist mostly of professional writing and communication classes. “This program is a thirty credits program and inside of the composition and inside of the communication department at UMD they focus on speech classes and all writing classes so I have classes such as Business, Arts and Letters, Speech classes, Web Design classes and also I needed an internship too to get my certificate,” she says.
“So it is extremely interesting because I already have a degree in Journalism, so I am focusing on writing and English and how to deliver speeches too like to prepare PowerPoint and presentations and how to write reports, memos, everything so it is really interesting.”
Mariana says socially it was challenging for her to make friends, but once she did it has added to her university experience. “At the beginning it wasn’t easy I was extremely shy. My English is wasn’t very good and people couldn’t understand me very well because of my accent and my vocabulary was very poor at that time, but now I had to be friendly to meet new people, to make more friends and it wasn’t easy, but you get use to that and then you just have to go and start talking to people and after you start meeting people it is great!”
Culturally though, Mariana says it is totally different. “Well, it was really hard because I am from Rio de Janeiro. I live at the coast and it is a big city around seven or eight million people and I came to Duluth and that is really small, less than one hundred thousand people. We don’t have a lot of things to do and their winter is really hard and the food it is different, sometimes I am depressed because I miss my friends and I miss my life in my country, but on the other hand I am experiencing things and its different having fun with different things that I never thought I could have fun to before.”
Mariana will graduate in May this year and then she will return to Brazil.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
International Student Pursues Finance and Marketing Degree at Villanova University
Profile of Sultan Tawfik Alkusayer -Download mp3 - Download (MP3)
Profile of Sultan Tawfik Alkusayer -Download mp3 - Listen (MP3)
After many of his family members traveled to the United States at one time or another to pursue education interests, Sultan Alkusayer made the decision to do the same thing. “I’m Sultan Tawfik Alkusayer. I come from Saudi Arabia and I decided to come to the United States probably because most of my family, my father, my mother, most of my other relatives came and pursue their studies in the United States and of course the education system over here is considered excellent compared to other countries.”
Sultan is nineteen years old and Villanova University, located in Villanova Philadelphia, is the place for him due to its high ranking and community environment. “Right now I go to Villanova University, I have chosen Villanova and I am in the Business school Villanova’s Business program since they have been ranked number twelve in the nation. One of the good things about Villanova in the pass few years it’s ranking has gone up and in the coming years by the time I graduate it is going to better and higher,” he says. “By its ranking and by the place it is great.” “
One of the great things about Villanova is its community. The staff members, the students I like how they were very welcoming and relaxed. The first day when I came on campus I really felt it through the students and through the staff members that helped me and through the professors. The professors were really kind and I got lots of extra help and assistance.”
As an international student, Sultan says there are a good number of other international students there. As a freshman, one transition for him was the language; however living on campus helped him adjust to being a college student there. “It is great so far.
One of the first difficulties you could have is about the language, in Saudi Arabia it is Arabic and over here is English so with certain subjects you could have a lot of problems of course with writing essays and other things,” he says. “You could also have some difficulties and some limits.” “One of the good things about living on campus is it helps a person socialize better than being a commuter. I see some international students who choose to be a commuter they don’t seem to be more into the school life especially socializing in the community. They seem to be a little to far from the community, so I think I made a good choice by living on campus.”
Finance and marketing are the subjects Sultan is planning to major in. He says his interest in those fields’ stems from early on in his life. “Since I was in Saudi Arabia I was thinking about pursuing and taking a careering either in Engineering or in the Business world and I ended up choosing the Business. When I graduated from high school I took one year off and I worked at a financial firm and that by itself made me see myself in the business world and helped me choose this as a career for the future.”
Sultan has several more years before he will graduate in 2011 from Villanova University. His advice to other students interested in going to college there or any other university is.... Even my friends in Philadelphia I highly recommended that they try and apply to Villanova. Some of them in other neighboring colleges, but I think it is a real good choice especially if you want to pursue a career in Business and cultural wise I think anyone can get use to any new culture and culture differences.”
Profile of Sultan Tawfik Alkusayer -Download mp3 - Listen (MP3)
After many of his family members traveled to the United States at one time or another to pursue education interests, Sultan Alkusayer made the decision to do the same thing. “I’m Sultan Tawfik Alkusayer. I come from Saudi Arabia and I decided to come to the United States probably because most of my family, my father, my mother, most of my other relatives came and pursue their studies in the United States and of course the education system over here is considered excellent compared to other countries.”
Sultan is nineteen years old and Villanova University, located in Villanova Philadelphia, is the place for him due to its high ranking and community environment. “Right now I go to Villanova University, I have chosen Villanova and I am in the Business school Villanova’s Business program since they have been ranked number twelve in the nation. One of the good things about Villanova in the pass few years it’s ranking has gone up and in the coming years by the time I graduate it is going to better and higher,” he says. “By its ranking and by the place it is great.” “
One of the great things about Villanova is its community. The staff members, the students I like how they were very welcoming and relaxed. The first day when I came on campus I really felt it through the students and through the staff members that helped me and through the professors. The professors were really kind and I got lots of extra help and assistance.”
As an international student, Sultan says there are a good number of other international students there. As a freshman, one transition for him was the language; however living on campus helped him adjust to being a college student there. “It is great so far.
One of the first difficulties you could have is about the language, in Saudi Arabia it is Arabic and over here is English so with certain subjects you could have a lot of problems of course with writing essays and other things,” he says. “You could also have some difficulties and some limits.” “One of the good things about living on campus is it helps a person socialize better than being a commuter. I see some international students who choose to be a commuter they don’t seem to be more into the school life especially socializing in the community. They seem to be a little to far from the community, so I think I made a good choice by living on campus.”
Finance and marketing are the subjects Sultan is planning to major in. He says his interest in those fields’ stems from early on in his life. “Since I was in Saudi Arabia I was thinking about pursuing and taking a careering either in Engineering or in the Business world and I ended up choosing the Business. When I graduated from high school I took one year off and I worked at a financial firm and that by itself made me see myself in the business world and helped me choose this as a career for the future.”
Sultan has several more years before he will graduate in 2011 from Villanova University. His advice to other students interested in going to college there or any other university is.... Even my friends in Philadelphia I highly recommended that they try and apply to Villanova. Some of them in other neighboring colleges, but I think it is a real good choice especially if you want to pursue a career in Business and cultural wise I think anyone can get use to any new culture and culture differences.”
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Studying International Business Gives Rusbi Andana Tools to Help Women in Guatemala
Profile of Rusbi Andana - Download mp3
Listen to Profile of Rusbi Andana
Profile of Rusbi Andana - Download Real Audio
Listen to Profile of Rusbi Andana
Rusbi Andana initially thought going to college would not be for her because of English being a second language for her. However, she came to realize that going to Alverno College is for her. Here is here story. “In the beginning I was thinking I don’t want to study anymore. I only have [gone to] high school in Guatemala and it was hard to think that at my age and I know that here in the United States that the age is not important, but for me it was because it would have to be in a second language and I thought I would not be able to go to the classes and be able to understand and that was one of my moments I was thinking no at my age it is not good because I knew a little English wasn’t enough to be in class,” she says.
“But then deciding to be in class it helped me because I have teachers who always are friendly in the way that they are always open and that helped me a lot and I feel free to ask questions if I don’t understand or I am able to go to them and say I don’t know what you are talking about and I want to understand so can you can talk slowly…that kind of thing because learning English at my age is not easy, but I am trying to do the best I can.”
As Rusbi mentioned, she is from Guatemala and it was her community along with receiving a scholarship that helped Rusbi go to college. “I came here in two-thousand and four and I am a school sister at Saint Francis and my community is part of this college and they are the ones that invited me to come and that was the reason I decided to stay at this college Alverno because of the offer I had and I am apart of this community that is the main thing that I have this opportunity.
This is Rusbi's first year. The thirty-three year old says the method in how she is able to learn and understand is different from back home and she definitely likes it much more. “Right now I am going for International Business and I am in the first year of being here and I really like the college because of the way they teach here is very different than Guatemala because in Guatemala you have grades and have to be able to pass the class and here we are developing different skills to be able to demonstrate that we are learning,” she says.
“I like it because here they call it assessment, but it is a good way of being able to learn and being able to demonstrate that we are learning in class and that we are learning for the society and not only for ourselves.”Rusbi still has several more years before she finishes, however going back home to tell others how important education is to all people in her country especially women. “I’m thinking that when I finish I want to go back to Guatemala and work with the people because one thing I want to do is to help others understand that education is very important especially for women,” she says.
“A lot of people say ‘no’ women have to be married or go to college and I think even at my age or if somebody is married they can get their education. That is one of my things because women have the right to have education and I know because I am going for International Business,” she says. “I’m willing to have a different view about what it has been and then go back and help people in understanding that it can be good if they want and that is one of my goals in going back to help my sisters in Guatemala.”
Listen to Profile of Rusbi Andana
Profile of Rusbi Andana - Download Real Audio
Listen to Profile of Rusbi Andana
Rusbi Andana initially thought going to college would not be for her because of English being a second language for her. However, she came to realize that going to Alverno College is for her. Here is here story. “In the beginning I was thinking I don’t want to study anymore. I only have [gone to] high school in Guatemala and it was hard to think that at my age and I know that here in the United States that the age is not important, but for me it was because it would have to be in a second language and I thought I would not be able to go to the classes and be able to understand and that was one of my moments I was thinking no at my age it is not good because I knew a little English wasn’t enough to be in class,” she says.
“But then deciding to be in class it helped me because I have teachers who always are friendly in the way that they are always open and that helped me a lot and I feel free to ask questions if I don’t understand or I am able to go to them and say I don’t know what you are talking about and I want to understand so can you can talk slowly…that kind of thing because learning English at my age is not easy, but I am trying to do the best I can.”
As Rusbi mentioned, she is from Guatemala and it was her community along with receiving a scholarship that helped Rusbi go to college. “I came here in two-thousand and four and I am a school sister at Saint Francis and my community is part of this college and they are the ones that invited me to come and that was the reason I decided to stay at this college Alverno because of the offer I had and I am apart of this community that is the main thing that I have this opportunity.
This is Rusbi's first year. The thirty-three year old says the method in how she is able to learn and understand is different from back home and she definitely likes it much more. “Right now I am going for International Business and I am in the first year of being here and I really like the college because of the way they teach here is very different than Guatemala because in Guatemala you have grades and have to be able to pass the class and here we are developing different skills to be able to demonstrate that we are learning,” she says.
“I like it because here they call it assessment, but it is a good way of being able to learn and being able to demonstrate that we are learning in class and that we are learning for the society and not only for ourselves.”Rusbi still has several more years before she finishes, however going back home to tell others how important education is to all people in her country especially women. “I’m thinking that when I finish I want to go back to Guatemala and work with the people because one thing I want to do is to help others understand that education is very important especially for women,” she says.
“A lot of people say ‘no’ women have to be married or go to college and I think even at my age or if somebody is married they can get their education. That is one of my things because women have the right to have education and I know because I am going for International Business,” she says. “I’m willing to have a different view about what it has been and then go back and help people in understanding that it can be good if they want and that is one of my goals in going back to help my sisters in Guatemala.”
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