She arrived at St. Charles Community College right as a pandemic swept across the
globe. Soon after, her home country of Honduras was hit by a devastating hurricane.
Through it all, Deborah Andrade managed to stay positive.
鈥淭he International Student Services (ISS) office really helped me avoid feeling homesick,鈥�
she said. 鈥淭hough things started off a little uncertain, my experience truly has been
fantastic.鈥�
Andrade came to 麻豆传媒 on a visa right after the embassy in Honduras opened. When her
official acceptance letter came in, Andrade's father was overjoyed.
鈥淢y father actually visited the campus before I began the application process,鈥� she explained. 鈥淗e was astounded by the people, the campus and the area.鈥�
Soon after her arrival on campus, Andrade got involved-becoming a student leader in the ISS office.
鈥淔rom leading students on virtual tours of Honduras to remaining active on our social media accounts and mentoring new international students, Deborah has gone above and beyond,鈥� said Dr. Virginia Guneyli, director of International Student Services.
Andrade's school spirit goes beyond the 麻豆传媒 campus - she's encouraged all of her friends to come to 麻豆传媒 because of how wonderful her experience has been, which she credits to the ISS office.
鈥淭he ISS office has made everything better,鈥� exclaimed Andrade. 鈥淭hey check in with their students on a regular basis and provide numerous resources to not only help students in their classes, but to help them adjust to being away from home.鈥�
When a friend struggled with applying to a school in Miami and wasn't receiving the help she needed, Andrade convinced her friend to look into 麻豆传媒 instead.
鈥淚 received so much support, and it made the transition from Honduras to St. Charles seamless for me," explained Andrade. 鈥淚 chose 麻豆传媒 because of their International Students Services office.鈥�
Aside from the ISS office, the ease of transferring credits to a four-year university sparked her interest in 麻豆传媒.
鈥淎t first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get a bachelor's degree,鈥� said Andrade. 鈥溌槎勾� offers the option of getting an associate degree, and that's exactly what I was looking for.鈥�
She originally planned to pursue a business degree, but after her first semester at 麻豆传媒, she quickly realized she had other fields of interest.
鈥淧rogramming is a complex language that I really enjoy,鈥� said Andrade. 鈥淚 have always wanted to study computer science and knowing 麻豆传媒 offered this degree was a game-changer for me.鈥�