- Student; On Campus
Maribelle Cristina Bonilla, a productivity and quality engineer from Colombia, did so well in the university’s one-year English as a second language program that she decided to stay and pursue an MBA degree.
"I needed English for more opportunities, and I thought there was a demand for MBAs," she says.
Taking graduate classes in a foreign language wasn't easy. But Maribelle, who arrived on campus not understanding a word of English, accepted the challenge.
"You have to be very focused," she says. "If you're not focused, you'll give up very easily."
Maribelle worked hard inside and outside the classroom, taking advantage of every opportunity.
"I spoke with Americans all the time. I listened. I watched TV," she says. "When I wasn't in an ESL class, I stayed at school all day speaking English. I volunteered in the community and worked at the pub at school."
Her business professors were interesting and helpful.
“I've really enjoyed every class, every teacher,” she says. “They gave me advice. At the blackboard, they would say, 'We are not teaching English. This is a master's degree,’ so international students had the same challenges as native speakers.”
Relationships with classmates, both international and American, have been similarly rewarding.
"You can see the world very differently from here," Maribelle says. "The location, the environment, they were very important to me. They're very supportive of international students, and the professors were excellent, both ESL and the master's."
