"Unity is Strength" by Alex Maingot. Courtesy of profesorbaker.wordpress.com
There are approximately 456 international students attending Mt. SAC. That is less than one percent of the student population. According to the Assistant Director of Admissions for International Students Patricia Montoya, the attendance has increased, with the majority of students coming from Asia and Latin America. However, international students have even come from nations such as Germany. International students must maintain a full-time class schedule and the cost of tuition for international students at Mt. SAC is almost four times the cost of a California resident student’s tuition. If high costs and a full time schedule aren’t enough, international students must also work extra hard to keep up the pace. Martin Oliva, 20, from Queretaro, Mexico, fills his weekend with homework and study while other students are out at their favorite hangout.
“You cannot take the chance to just fail a class, or fail a test; you need to do really good,” said Oliva.
Oliva is the International Student Club president and plans to transfer to UCLA to obtain a degree in Aerospace Engineering. “The hardest thing about coming to another country for school is getting used to the language and getting used to the way people are, the cultural differences,” Oliva said.
He added, “American culture is friendly, sometimes I’m sitting somewhere and I don’t know people, and they just approach me, and start talking. In Mexico usually that doesn’t happen.” Oliva said he hopes to help other international students embrace the American culture instead of falling into a comfort zone. He said he wants his international colleagues to share their culture as well as learn the culture that surrounds them.
Hiromo Haga, a 26-year-old student from Japan is a member of the International Student Club. Haga said she is attending Mt. SAC because there are few Japanese students. “The Japanese population at Mt. SAC is small. I had a strong desire to learn English, so I decided to come to Mt. SAC,” said Haga. The club is open to all students regardless of residency status. Joshua H. Wu, a California resident and current Mt. SAC student, is a member of the club. During a recent club meeting, Wu said that he joined for the purpose of bringing different students together. He is also involved in Link Krew, another club on campus created to integrate the Mt. SAC student community. According to the Mt. SAC website, an international student counselor is available to help students with everything from selecting the appropriate classes to help with personal concerns. Technical assistance is also available for help with immigration issues and understanding F-1 visa regulations.
- Linda Rada
Staff Writere
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