{"id":750,"date":"2017-05-02T21:21:16","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T02:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpacad2.winona.edu\/winona360\/?p=750"},"modified":"2017-05-03T15:01:38","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T20:01:38","slug":"from-three-countries-to-one-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/blog\/2017\/05\/02\/from-three-countries-to-one-university\/","title":{"rendered":"From Three Countries To One University"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Allison Mueller & Taylor Nyman<\/p>\n

As Winona State University\u2019s spring commencement nears, graduating students are faced with the reality that they will be on their own. This thought is scary for most graduates, and for those who have traveled from other countries to pursue their degree as Warriors, it can be even scarier as they leave their four-year home.<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>
Click the map to see where the four featured international students are from.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to WSU\u2019s Director of International Services and Cultural Outreach Kemale Pinar, 300 international students attend Winona State representing 45 countries. Of these students, 39 are graduating this semester. Insight into four of these students\u2019 backgrounds, Winona State involvement and post graduation plans, illustrates the process international students might endure as they remain thousands of miles from home following their time at college.<\/p>\n

Jakiul Alam<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Busy streets, hectic sidewalks and tall buildings was not the big city vibe Takiul Alam was looking for when exploring college options outside of his home country of Bangladesh. After living in the capital of Dhaka with a population of more\u00a0than 18 million, he wanted the opposite.<\/p>\n

According to Alam, he found what he was looking for in the city of Winona \u2013 beautiful surroundings, a much smaller population and snow.<\/p>\n

Still, none of these features were a true selling point for Alam. For him, it was about the scholarships.<\/p>\n

Although he was leaning towards attending college in the U.K., Alam made the decision to attend Winona State after receiving scholarships that covered 75 percent of his tuition. Now, after three and a half years of study, he will graduate with a degree in computer science.<\/p>\n

Alam claimed he never felt homesick after leaving Dhaka, and the biggest thing he had to adjust to was the difference in food.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe food is pretty bland,\u201d Alam said. \u201cBack home, we use a lot of spices to cook, so that was the biggest obstacle.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his first two years at Winona State, Alam served as president of the International Club. This gave him the opportunity to share his culture\u2019s food in the annual International Dinner as well as enjoy dishes from other countries.<\/p>\n

Alam\u2019s lack of homesickness will benefit him after graduation, as he has no intention of leaving the U.S.<\/p>\n

In March 2016, Alam enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. He said his basic\u00a0training date keeps getting postponed, but he hopes to begin training by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

\"Senior
Senior international student from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jakiul Alam, shows off his military ID during an interview on Friday, April 21, 2017 in Kryzsko Commons at Winona State. Alam enlisted in the Army Reserves to eventually gain citizenship and is awaiting his basic training departure date.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Money once again played a large factor in one of Alam\u2019s life decisions, as he enlisted to receive money towards tuition as well as citizenship after passing basic training.<\/p>\n

Since his enlistment, Alam said he is unsure what will come next for him after he graduates, but he does know he would like to live in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy plans are up in the air until I know when I go to basic training,\u201d Alam explained.<\/p>\n

With his mom and two sisters supporting his decisions from back home, Alam said he will continue to enjoy the Minnesota snow and wait for the next phase of his life to unfold.<\/p>\n

Rachel OuYong<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A software developer position at Pearson VUE in Bloomington, Minnesota awaits Rachel OuYong after graduation. Instead of feeling first-day jitters when she arrives, OuYong will see familiar faces when walking into the corporate headquarters.<\/p>\n

OuYong is a WSU computer science major and math minor from Hong Kong. She\u00a0said she came to Winona State after she traveled to Minneapolis to visit her aunt,\u00a0who is a WSU alumna. After then journeying to Winona and receiving a tour of campus, OuYong said she wanted to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe town is very different from where I grew up,\u201d OuYong said. \u201cAs a city, Hong Kong is like New York. I wanted a big change and decided Winona was a good place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout her four years at Winona State, OuYong has been involved on campus through the International Club, as a worker at WSU\u2019s Tech Support Center and as a student researcher for the Computer Science Department.<\/p>\n

\"Senior
Senior Rachel OuYong sits at her computer desk in Technical Support in Somsen Hall at Winona State and waits to help students with their malfunctioning devices on Monday, April 24, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During her junior year, OuYong attended a job fair in the Twin Cities through Career Services. This visit resulted in a summer internship for OuYong at Pearson VUE, and six months after her time in Bloomington she was offered a full-time position beginning after graduation.<\/p>\n

While landing an internship and accepting a job offer is high on OuYong\u2019s list of greatest accomplishments, she said attending the Grace Hopper Celebration twice ranks first.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat conference is the world\u2019s largest for women in computing,\u201d OuYong said. \u201cThat was probably the highlight of my four years of college.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Senior
Senior Rachel OuYong from Hong Kong, China, stands in front of her senior capstone research project on XML Data Storage of Lung Cancer Treatment Outcomes Prediction Tool in computer science in collaboration with Mayo Clinic on Monday, April 24 in Watkins Hall. OuYong said her project explains software design, analysis and results for the benefits of the data storage program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

OuYong\u2019s undergraduate research with her advisor led her to present the project \u201cPredicting Lung Cancer Outcomes\u201d at the conference. This project carries\u00a0over into her senior capstone, as she focuses on Data Storage Of Lung Cancer Treatment Outcomes Predicting Tool in collaboration with Mayo Clinic. Her research poster is on display in Watkins Hall on Winona State\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n

Wasil Chisti<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wasil Chisti\u2019s journey to Winona State includes a series of missed deadlines.<\/p>\n

Chisti said his father encouraged him to leave home in Dhaka, Bangladesh to \u201cget a better education from a better country.\u201d He looked to attend school in Canada, where a few of his family members and friends live. After missing the application deadline by a few days, he said his mother suggested he \u201ctry the country next door.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, Chisti attended a college in Missouri to study engineering and two years later decided to transfer to Mankato State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just couldn\u2019t see myself graduating from there,\u201d Chisti said.<\/p>\n

He had plans to apply to Mankato State, but missed the deadline. Chisti changed his major to business administration and attended Rochester Community and Technical College for one year before transferring to Winona State and changing his major to human resources. He said he changed his major after realizing how much he had worked in customer relations since the start of high school.<\/p>\n

At RCTC, Chisti said he took a class because he thought it was transferrable to\u00a0Winona State, but he learned too late this was not the case. This forced him to stay another year at Winona State to earn his degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt worked out,\u201d Chisti said. \u201cWhatever happened, it happened for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Winona State he was hired for a paid internship with the College of Business startup, which he also receives credit for. Chisti has served as human resource manager for the group since last October, which involves recruiting, screening and interviewing students on campus for jobs.<\/p>\n

\"Senior
Senior international student from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wasil Chisti (center), participates in a College of Business startup meeting as student resource manager on Friday, April 21, 2017 at Winona State\u2019s College of Business Engagement Center. The College of Business startup is a student-run organization with approximately 8-10 students who collaborate to reach out to the student body of Winona State with job oppurtunities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chisti said after graduating he looks to secure a job, and it does not have to be \u201cthe most attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can go into a job five days a week and not be the happiest person there,\u201d Chisti said. \u201cBut the paycheck can make me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christian Kolby <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Christian Kolby from Oslo, Norway said he would have never considered himself a leader three years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, I am the most respected College of Business leaders,\u201d Kolby said.<\/p>\n

He said Winona State\u2019s College of Business offers a lot of opportunities for\u00a0students to expand their skills, which is what he did and will continue to do.<\/p>\n

Kolby, an economic and political science major and global studies minor, said he served as a \u201cnormal\u201d college student his first two years at Winona State, as he earned good grades but was not involved on campus. His junior year he joined the Economics Club and was pitched as VP of finance, allowing him to work alongside administrators for the College of Business and gain experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dean will ask me if he needs people, so that\u2019s rewarding,\u201d Kolby said.<\/p>\n

After a liking for the Minnesota Vikings led Kolby to search for Midwest colleges that fit his budget, he considered Winona State as an option.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cI applied, got accepted and never really looked back, and it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Senior
Senior international student Christian Kolby from Oslo, Norway, takes a headcount of kids as a camp counselor for his Entrepreneurs in the American Economy class event to mentor young adults for entrepreneurship opportunities on Friday, April 21, 2017 in Kryzsko Commons at Winona State. Kolby used this opportunity to gain experience in his field of study by working with economic and political science.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kolby explained how a scholarship program for international students allowed him to pay in-state tuition, saving him thousands of dollars per semester. He said this, combined with Winona\u2019s small-town feel, moved him to choose Winona State over other colleges that accepted him, such as the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Using his club involvement with the College of Business to build his resum\u00e9, Kolby is interviewing with companies including WinCraft and Fastenal, as the semester concludes. His ultimate goal is to permanently live in the U.S., staying in Minnesota for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf opportunities arise elsewhere, I\u2019ll pack up my bag and go,\u201d Kolby said. \u201cBut, Winona will always be my second home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Allison Mueller & Taylor Nyman As Winona State University\u2019s spring commencement nears, graduating students are faced with the reality that they will be on their own. This thought is scary for most graduates, and for those who have traveled from other countries to pursue their degree as Warriors, it can be even scarier as … Continue reading From Three Countries To One University<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[366,132,364,363,367,360,362,368,365,361,127,23,195,6,20],"class_list":["post-750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bangladesh","tag-china","tag-graduate","tag-graduation","tag-hong-kong","tag-international","tag-international-services","tag-norway","tag-senior","tag-students","tag-travel","tag-winona","tag-winona-state","tag-winona-state-university","tag-wsu","post_format-post-format-audio"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/18261328_1809024355778071_1071534894_o.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":766,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions\/766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educate.winona.edu\/winona360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}