International students thrive at FCCJ
Upon graduation, students return to homeland to help develop communities
Leah Arnold
Issue date: 11/11/08 Section: News
| |
| |
|
Today, that dream has become a reality, thanks to an innovative program at Florida Community College that gives foreign students the chance to study in America.
"When I was a child, I always said, 'I don't know how, but I want to learn English.' This was my opportunity," Giron said.
Giron is one of 17 students currently attending FCCJ through the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS), a program that began at the college in 1989. The program is funded by the United States Agency for Intercultural Development (USAID) and is implemented by Georgetown University.
CASS Scholars hail from seven nations, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. According to the program's brochure, their mission is centered around "reaching and uplifting socioeconomically disadvantaged but talented people from Mexico, Central America and [the] Caribbean, as well as increasing the number of current and future leaders of these nations with a positive learning experience in the United States."
The process of joining the program is different for every student. One thing that they all have in common, though, is their determination.
Marisol Mendez, a 20-year-old beach lover from Mexico, found out about the CASS Scholarship from her high school director.
"I filled out the forms and afterwards we had to pass a lot of tests. The last one was an interview; it was the last step," Mendez said. "A month later we went to get the visa."
A smile danced across Mendez's tanned face as she described her experiences so far in America.
"I don't have a bad experience here because when I came I lived with a host family," said Mendez. "They were so nice to me, and we shared a lot of time together."
Mendez, along with the other CASS Scholars, lived with a local family during her first year in the US. For their second and final year of study, students make the transition to independent apartments.
In addition to learning about American life and society, the students focus on learning skills that will help them in the future. All 17 of FCCJ's CASS Scholars are studying in the Business Administration program.
The students take special English classes for non-native speakers during their first three semesters, but they only have an interpreter for their first term of classes. Afterwards, they take regular college English classes. Besides language instruction, students also take classes in a variety of subjects such as business, advertising, computers, and mathematics.
Over 70 percent of the students maintain a grade point average of 4.0.
"There were people that quit," said Loida Reyes, from El Salvador. "But I kept telling myself that I need to continue to the end."
The students will remain at the college until July, when they will graduate with AAS degrees and return to their countries, making room for a new group of eager students to arrive in August 2009.
The CASS program also encourages students to develop solutions for current problems in their countries. They return to their country as leaders and agents for change.
"We sign a contract, we study for two years, and after [that] we have to go back to work in our countries," said Maria Pujols, 21, of Dominican Republic.
She said that each student develops a Community Action Plan (CAP) during their time in the US and then starts implementing that plan upon return in their hometowns.
"The objective of all of them is to help the community," Pujols said. "My CAP is about how to handle garbage in the community, and how to educate people about how to handle their trash."
Pujols laughed when describing her initial expectations of America.
"I imagined a big city with lots of snow," she said. "Then they sent me to Florida."
Despite her initial expectations, Pujols has settled into Floridian life remarkably well.
"I like it," Pujols said. "I have met many nice people."
Luis Montalvo, who has coordinated the CASS program since 2000, offered valuable insight into the worlds of CASS Scholars.
"None of the families can make more than $2,000 a year," he said. "They come from the poorest areas of their countries. Many of them had to work themselves through school. It's a tough adjustment for them."
Montalvo oversees the program and assists the students from start to finish. When it's time for a new group of students, he travels to Washington, D.C. to sort through boxes of files sent from in-country coordinators. After reviewing each student's application, he chooses which ones will come to FCCJ. There could be over 200 applications for approximately 24 scholarships in any given country, he said.
Once students are selected, they are rewarded with a full scholarship totaling around $40,000. The scholarship, funded by USAID, covers tuition, books, school supplies, housing costs, and a monthly stipend for each student to cover expenses so they can spend time studying.
"In the last group, all of the students graduated with honors and high honors. They take it very seriously," Montalvo said. "Students focus on their studies, learn English, and go back to make a difference."
Ask him about the success of his students, and he beams with pride.
He tells the story of a recent CASS graduate who went back to his community and developed a road to connect his town with another town, enabling trucks to travel between them. The graduate sent Montalvo a picture of him working on the road's construction.
Reyes, who is currently in the program, also has a specific plan to help her country.
"I live close to the beach in El Salvador," she said. "My goal is to find the resources and sponsors to create a plan to keep the beaches clean to [encourage] tourists to visit my country."
"Some go into politics, or work in the community. Many are planning to start small businesses. Others teach English and computers in schools," Montalvo said. "They are able to really make a big difference when they return."
As the current family of CASS Scholars embarks upon their last year of study in America, they look forward to the future.
"I hope to come back to my country, find a good job, help my family, and help my community especially," said Chocoj.
David Raul Chavez contributed to this article.