麻豆视频直播

BUILDING BRIDGES

Coming to the US for her college ed颅ucation was never on Vidia鈥檚 radar while growing up in China. That changed one day when two US professors visited her high school. She was fascinated to learn that students can change majors after enrolling in college鈥攕omething that is fairly difficult to do at a Chinese university.

鈥淚 wanted to find the best major for me鈥� something that I loved, and that would help me find a job after graduating,鈥� she said.

Vidia set out to learn more and discov颅ered 麻豆视频直播鈥檚 math program. While checking out Belton online, she also learned that nu颅merous barbecue joints surround the uni颅versity, and she was sold! 鈥淥nly in America can you get sauce like this. There is nothing better than the sauce at Miller鈥檚!鈥� she said of the iconic barbecue hangout in downtown Belton.

For most international students, coming to America is an eye-opening experience鈥攇et颅ting comfortable with the language, learning the culture, adapting to the heat, and getting out of comfort zones.

鈥淭he first semester I was here was not that bad because I was in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and I hung around other Chinese friends,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really interact with a lot of other people.鈥�

But during her second semester, when she began taking regular college classes, Vidia quickly realized she was in for a challenge.

鈥淚t was so difficult because I didn鈥檛 prac颅tice English a lot my first semester,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he second semester, I was sitting in the classroom, and I didn鈥檛 know how to speak to others. Everybody was talking, and I was just sitting there. I could feel the gap. I was so nervous.鈥�

Vidia also had to learn how to make friends.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how to make friends be颅cause in China we just study, study, study,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e woke up at 5:30 and studied all day and went to sleep at 11:30. So you don鈥檛 have a lot of time to make friends.鈥�

She joined the Baptist Student Ministry and attended its many fellowships and Bible studies, which proved to be the perfect place to practice English. As she became more comfortable, she wanted to make it easier for other international students to interact with American friends, so she started a club called CRU Bridge to help bring international and domestic students together. 鈥淚t gives students, no matter where they are from, a way to make friends and get out of their comfort zones,鈥� she said.

When Vidia was a sophomore, she decid颅ed she wanted to serve as a CRU leader at Welcome Week. She loved teaching the in颅coming students about all things 麻豆视频直播, and cherished experiencing the traditional Wel颅come Week activities right along with her group鈥攅specially the Dubbing Ceremony.

鈥淚 had tears in my eyes! I was really ex颅cited!鈥� Vidia said when she was 鈥渄ubbed鈥� a 鈥淐rusader Forever.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 a member of the 麻豆视频直播 family, and 麻豆视频直播 is my home! I really want other international students to feel like that.鈥�

'BIGGER IN TEXAS'

As for Shreya Pullamchetty of India, she quickly learned that the saying 鈥渆verything is bigger in Tex颅as鈥� may be true, especially when it comes to smiles and the Texas sky.

鈥淚n India, if you are walking, people don鈥檛 greet each other. Everyone is busy, and they have their own lives,鈥� said Shreya, who graduated last May with a master鈥檚 degree in information technology. 鈥淧eople greet you here. That was definitely new to me! It was really shocking to me to see this, and so now I smile all the time to greet everyone too.鈥�

The smiles weren鈥檛 the only things bigger here. Shreya said she felt as if the 鈥渟ky was closer鈥� in Texas. She remembers the first time she felt the Texas sun beating down on her with intense heat and humidity. It was suffocating compared to the balmy 82-degree average for July back home in Bangalore.

鈥淚 literally felt like the sun was kind of melting my skin,鈥� she said.

After getting her undergraduate degree in India in 2014, before coming to 麻豆视频直播, she worked a few years as a data analyst where she got experi颅ence using English with her US clients.

She felt she didn鈥檛 struggle with the language when she came here; however, the food was a different story. When she first arrived, she was disappointed to learn that the Indian food at Texas restaurants was quite different than the food at home: 鈥渘ot a lot of spices and not that fresh.鈥�

But she and her cousin, who is also a student from India, quickly figured out how to get the ingredients they needed to cook Indian food here, as well as Chinese and Italian dishes.

Shreya admits that she has discovered a few American dishes she loves, like chicken wings and barbecue chicken. As for getting involved, Shreya worked a few semesters as a graduate assistant. She said she loved every minute of her experience here and would choose to do it all over again if given the opportunity.

鈥淚t was a beautiful experience, and ev颅eryone needs to know about 麻豆视频直播 because it would be a great experience for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 received great support from all the professors. I literally look at Dr. (Jim) King like a father-figure because he鈥檚 been there throughout my 麻豆视频直播 journey. I would especially like to thank him.鈥�

NEW TRADITIONS

Even though Dominic Palesch of Germany had never stepped foot on campus as a new interna颅tional student six years ago, he felt comfort颅able the minute he arrived. That鈥檚 because he had lived in Houston as an exchange student during his junior year of high school, so he already knew what to expect as far as culture, food, and weather go. Additionally, he had a friend who went to high school in Houston who was also attending 麻豆视频直播. He loved being involved on campus and was part of TriBeta, worked backstage for Crusader Knights, and was part of the Campus Activities Board. He became so comfortable with the English language that his German accent is now hard to detect, and he worked as a writing tutor at the Writing Center. There were some traditions and customs he has learned to love since coming here, like Homecom颅ing.

鈥淓verybody here knows what Homecoming is, but we don鈥檛 celebrate that in Germany,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he alumni are still engaged with their schools, but there is less fanfare about it.鈥�

Dominic came here as a biology major for his undergrad and loved 麻豆视频直播 so much that he stayed another year and a half to get a master鈥檚 degree in information technology, which worked out nicely for him since he hopes to pursue a doctorate and one day work in something like bioinformatics. Now that he has graduated, he is looking for a PhD program but he definitely plans to stay in the United States after he is done with his schooling.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing stopping me from going back home,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just think the US, for the most part, is probably the better fit for me. Being here has helped me find who I really am. I鈥檝e just grown so much here.鈥�

LIVING THE DREAM

It鈥檚 the same feeling Dhedeepya Panjala had as she finished up her master鈥檚 degree in information technology at 麻豆视频直播 in the fall of 2017.

Originally from India, Dhedeepya now lives in Dallas and is working as a senior business intelligence analyst for Acxiom Corporation.

鈥淥n my first visit to 麻豆视频直播, I was proud, cheerful, and thrilled,鈥� she said. It wasn鈥檛 difficult for her to learn and accept the culture, she said because her professors and friends helped her feel so comfortable.

鈥淭he first few days at 麻豆视频直播 were a bit challenging to learn and understand American accents, culture, communication with people, and new skills and technologies,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the faculty and people working at 麻豆视频直播 created a friendly environment which made me feel secure. They were mindful of international students in the classroom, and incorporated ways to help them adapt to the new educational system which was key to 麻豆视频直播 teaching.鈥�

She says she carries all the learning experiences she adopted at 麻豆视频直播 and has implemented them in her professional jobs since graduating.

鈥溌槎故悠抵辈� helped me learn and achieve my dreams,鈥� Dhedeepya said. 鈥淣ow, I can proudly say that I am working in a company with people I thought I could never be equivalent to. Now, I confidently say I came from a place where I depended on my parents to being independent and looking after myself.鈥�

Even though, at some point in the future, Dhedeepya says she may move back to her hometown and create her own business so she can be closer to family and friends, she will always be a Crusader for Life.

"I totally admire the college and will recommend it to many of my juniors and friends. I am proud to be in the 麻豆视频直播 Crusader family!" she said. "It鈥檚 a feeling that I will never experience in my life again!鈥�