USA Student Profiles

A selection of profiles of international students who are currently studying in the United States. Please click on a name.

If you would like to submit a student profile for inclusion in this section, please click here

Name: Sara Hernández

Country of Origin: Madrid, Spain

Place of Study: Columbia College Hollywood
Emphasis: Producer

Since I was a child, movies were the love of my life. Now, I’m in Los Angeles learning how to make those movies that make people laugh, cry or be afraid. I came here because I want to learn how to make movies like the legendary Gone With The Wind. Hollywood is the place were dreams come true including mine.

Name: Markus Lanxinger

Country of Origin: Vienna, Austria

Place of Study:Columbia College Hollywood
Studying: Cinematography

My name is Markus and I am an international student at Columbia College Hollywood majoring in Cinematography. I came here because I think when you learn filmmaking; you might as well learn it from the best sources you can get – in the heart of Hollywood. Being a film student in Los Angeles not only offers me great internship and networking opportunities, but also encourages me to always stay ahead. If you have any desire to be in the film industry, Los Angeles is the place to be.

Name: Tahir Aliyev

Country of Origin: London, UK

Place of Study:Columbia College Hollywood
Studying: Directing

Studying filmmaking at Columbia College Hollywood was a great experience because I received hands on training in an overall filmmaking environment. CCH is a great school because it teaches all aspects of filmmaking from a variety of angles. Industry professionals are comfortable with dispensing their practical experience and the location of the school itself is prime considering how close it is to the heart of Hollywood. I managed to fulfil one of my filmmaking dreams when I shot a long awaited short script.

Name: Mika Hori

Country of Origin: Gifu, Japan

Place of Study:Columbia College Hollywood
Studying: Cinematography

Since I started to come to CCH, I’ve been having a great time learning all aspects of filmmaking. I really love the small class so that each of us have more chances to learn from hands-on experiences. Also, many instructors are professionals who actually work in the Hollywood industry, so they teach us the real way of their business. Students help each other as crew members for their projects, and it is the great way of learning the overall process of filmmaking by actually experiencing it first-hand in the USA.

Name: Rajan Braulio Menon Hidalgo

Country of Origin: San Jose, Costa Rica

Place of Study: DePaul University
Studying: Business Administration and Management

DePaul is an excellent institution with important values, ideals and principles that can easily be applied in my daily life. DePaul cares for its students and the institution’s mission and vision can easily be recognized throughout the university.

I believe I’m headed on the right path to meet my goals and my education at DePaul is providing a strong foundation for my career after graduation.

Name: Magdalena Korybska

Country of Origin: Warsaw, Poland

Place of Study: DePaul University
Studying: Psychology

I decided to attend DePaul because it was recommended to me by one of its alumni. As an international student at DePaul, I find there
are many people who want to assist us – it is a helpful learning environment. I started my studies in ELA (English Language Academy).

They teach such a high level of English. It’s wonderful to study in Chicago. It is a cultural center and beautiful city.

Name: Joon Woo Jeon

Country of Origin: Yangsan, S. Korea

Place of Study: DePaul University
Studying: Accounting

Name: Soumyadeep “Deep” Banik

Country of Origin: Kolkata, India

Place of Study: DePaul University
Studying: Computer Science/Network

Security One of the reasons I chose DePaul is because of its location. Internship and job opportunities are easily available because of all the industries in Chicago. In addition, CTI keeps its curriculum up-to-date and offers new courses that are currently in demand in the market.

Also, CTI offers Course Online. If you ever miss a class, or need to watch a lecture over again, you can do it on your own time.

Name: Abdoulaye Traore

Country of Origin: Burkina Faso

Place of Study: Eastern Illinois University

My name is Abdoulaye Traore and I’m a native of Burkina Faso (West Africa) formerly Upper Volta. I’m a Junior Finance major at Eastern Illinois University. I’ve been in the United States for three years now and it has been the greatest experience of my life so far. I applied to several universities and Eastern Illinois University was the first to accept my application. The International Program office connected me with an American student with whom we exchanged through emails. This fact indeed made me feel closer to this school than the other ones.

I am currently the president of the Association of International Students here on campus and we are striving to ensure the welfare of the International students. We have fun activities promoting cultural exchange and understanding among students, staff, and faculty of all nations and members of the local community such as Games night, International night, Fashion show and International potluck and many more.

I love Eastern and I’m proud to be part of the EIU family. Come join us for a very rewarding and enriching educational experience. I’m proud to represent my country and my continent on this wonderful campus.

Name: Kumiko Ono

Country of Origin: Japan

Place of Study: Eastern Illinois University

Hi, this is Kumi Ono. I’m from Tokyo, Japan. I started studying in the U.S. at a community college to practice my English, and then transferred to Eastern Illinois University to have access to a better program in my major, Communication Studies. One thing that I like about EIU is that they have a great system not only of education but also for international students. It was easy for me to make friends and get used to this life in EIU through the Family Friends and Conversation Partners programs. In Conversation Partners, I meet with an American student once every week to practice my English. Besides talking we do a lot of things together, like going to the local coffee shop and going horseback riding. In the Family Friends program, I go to the home of an American family once every month to learn more about American culture through my experience. I’m always comfortable to be here.

Name: Adi Redzic

Country of Origin: Montenegro

Place of Study: St. Norbert College

My name is Adi Redzic and I am freshman at St. Norbert College. I originally come from Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) and I have been in the United States for a year and a half now. It has been an amazing experience! I found St. Norbert College last January and I immediately fell in love with it. It is a college with a long-standing tradition in international education, with great academic programs and an excellent reputation. And the campus is beautiful! These are some of the things that impressed me when I visited this school, and my impressions have turned out to be true. This is a great school with tremendous opportunities. Everybody is so nice and approachable. Professors are great and always more than willing to help. Staff are wonderful, from the housekeeper to the President--all very nice and appreciative of the presence of international students. Campus organizations are many and all very interesting; it is only up to you to get involved. Student life overall is a lot of fun; there is always something going on at St. Norbert College and you can easily find something that is of interest to you... It is now only up to you to call us, come to St. Norbert College and have a time of your life!

Click here to find out more about St Norbert College

www.snc.edu

Name: Stefan Fedunik

Country of Origin: Florida

Place of Study: Stetson University College of Law

Author: Aaron Reinchild, Communications Specialist

Student Profile:
German Businessman
Succeeds with American LL.M.

Stefan Fedunik lives in his native Germany. But he feels a citizen of a wider global community. He thanks the LL.M. Degree he earned at Stetson University College of Law in Florida for helping to prepare him for success in an international environment.

Stefan Fedunik has worked for several years for Pricewaterhouse Coopers in its international auditing department. He frequently works with clients who are not on the same continent he is, let alone in the same country. Each client and country has distinct legislation affecting business transactions.

Stefan is an alumnus of Stetson’s LL.M. programme, an intensive one-year course of study that leads to a Master of Laws degree in International Law and Business. The programme is meant to prepare students to work in commercial or business-related practice in the global legal marketplace.

Stetson’s LL.M. programme has alumni from 31 countries around the world, including lawyers from countries such as China, Panama, Venezuela, Germany and many others.

Stefan believes that having a diversity of international experiences helps citizens succeed in an increasingly globalise world. Specifically, he says that an American LL.M. is a tremendous asset for business professionals.

“If you’re only focussed within your area, you’ll never be a good attorney because you don’t have the variety, the big view on things,” Stefan says.

In part that means having a sense of international law, because of changing business needs. “Within the economic world, it is important that you understand the client’s needs, and today a client is not only active within the national and domestic borders, he or she is acting on a worldwide basis.”

He attributes this to international business expansion, but also to a growing shared business environment and culture across borders.

“We are all getting close together,” he said. “Nations are more homogeneous today than they ever were before. Countries had certain products in the past they don’t have today. Or to give an example: today a national American law like the Sarbanes Oxley Act has an impact even on European subsidiaries of an American corporation and require those entities to comply with Sec 404 in a foreign jurisdiction, even though is an American law.”

These elements add up to a need for attorneys to grow with international experiences and study abroad.

“If you understand only your domestic body of law, it’s not good enough,” he said. “Today, you also need to understand your international surroundings. You’ll only get that wider view if you get out of your own country.”

At the Stetson College of Law. Stefan says he found an environment where he was able to thrive. He praises being able to study within a large variety of internationally experienced lawyers, learning from their point of view.

“The school’s size is ideal for you to get yourself prepared for the future. You can completely develop yourself and develop your interests in the school. Professors will always support you in the direction you are interested.”

The 31-year-old business lawyer frequently returns to Stetson and Florida for business and social interactions.

“If I think back at my year at Stetson, it is probably one of the best years of my life,” says Stefan. “I always say to people who are willing to study abroad that is the best thing they can do.”

“A fish will always remain a fish in a pond – but if you want to be an international business lawyer you have to be a frog to get an outside view.”

Click here to see the Stetson University- College of Law e-brochure

www.law.stetson.edu

Name: Gudmundur Oskarsson

Country of Origin: Reykjavik City, Iceland

Place of Study: Penn State Altoona

When I came to Penn State Altoona, it was even more than I expected! The faculty and staff are all very friendly and were helpful with my placement tests and scheduling. The small, personalized environment at Penn State Altoona allows you to really feel like you're part of a community while you're here.

Because of the small classes and friendly people, I don't feel like I'm an international student but rather, part of the campus community. I've never felt homesick, and I've become involved in a variety of campus activities and have made many new friends.

I will be finishing my Penn StateDegree at the University Park campus, and the two years I've spent at Penn State Altoona have prepared me well for the transition to a larger campus environment. As an international student, I've discovered that everyone knows Penn State - but I've become Penn State.

International Student Profiles

Within this site we look to create a personal touch by featuring profiles from international students around the world. This gives those already studying away from home the chance to let others know how they have found the experience of studying in a foreign country and the benefits of studying abroad. Because the site has such an international focus, wherever your place of study is in the world, we will be interested in hearing from you.

Each profile should be around 120 words in length and should state the student's name, country of origin and place of study (name of university/college/school). If possible, please also send a passport size or larger photograph or a .jpg file.

If you would like to supply a student profile, please send it to:

Student Profiles
SR Media Ltd
101 Southwark Street
London SE1 0JH
United Kingdom

or E-mail: webmaster@studyoverseas.com

We look forward to hearing your experiences of studying overseas!