Venezuelan student finds new home at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 13:34:56 +0000

When Katherine Zambrano first moved to Little Rock to live with her aunt, whose husband was ill, Little Rock seemed like a different world compared to her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, with a population of more than two million people. “I came from a very big city, like Chicago or New York, and there is a lot of noise there,” said Zambrano, a 21-year-old senior. “Here, it is slow paced, and it is silent at times. It was hard to adjust, but I really love it now. The tranquility and calmness have grown on me.” Anxious to get started on her college education, Zambrano began at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock soon after she arrived in the spring 2015 semester. She is appreciative of the volunteers from International Student Services for helping her adjust to a new country. “International Student Services helped me to adjust to college life,” she said. “Student volunteers tell you about campus life and give you a tour of campus. Everything is overwhelming when you get here, so having someone welcome you and tell you where the best place to eat and hang out is very helpful.” In December, Zambrano will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and media production and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. She plans to work as a translator and in the communications industry. While on campus, Zambrano has received a variety of work experience to prepare her for the future. She has worked in the Office of Testing Services and International Student Services.

Katherine Zambrano attends Mosaic Church where she worked as an intern translating Spanish and also works as a children’s Sunday school teacher with her husband. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

“In the International Student Services office, I have been able to work alongside incredible people who have become my friends and meet new people from all over the world,” she said. “My favorite part of being a student is getting to meet people from Argentina and Saudi Arabia and everywhere in the world. It’s great that we have such a cultured school.” On the communications side, she worked as a lab assistant for the School of Mass Communication, managing communication equipment used by students. She has also served as an intern at KATV and at Mosaic Church, where she served as a Spanish translator and created graphics. Zambrano also enjoyed working on “The Lunch Box,” a television news program produced by the School of Mass Communication, and a class documentary. “As a mass communication major, I was fortunate to work with a documentarist from HBO. He was our teacher for a semester, and we were able to make a documentary from scratch. It was great and an experience that I will never forget.” She is also actively involved in the community and volunteers at Mosaic Church, the children’s ministry at Fellowship Bible Church, and as a group leader for International Student Services. On campus, Zambrano has also served as president of the International Club and vice president of Genesis Campus Ministry, where she met her husband, David, who is studying to be a physician assistant at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The two were married at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs in 2017.

Katherine Zambrano has worked as a lab assistant in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock television production studio. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

One of her favorite teachers was Dr. Mark Giese, who retired from the School of Mass Communication in 2017. “He was the one who got me interested in media production,” Zambrano said. “I had one of his classes, and he was this person who wanted you to learn. He was very passionate toward filming and photography, and he wanted you to love it.” Zambrano is thankful to her friends in International Student Services and Counseling Services who helped her adjust to college life and make ��Vlog��ý Little Rock her new home. “I arrived in the U.S. three and a half years ago and was met with a lot of incredible people that guided me and taught me all I know now,” she said. “I knew English but that was where my knowledge stopped in terms of college, and I was met with so many people that wanted to help me succeed and that was the biggest incentive to continue going. I love the community, and people are so friendly, and people aren’t afraid to say hello and will come up and meet new people.”

Gu finds second home a world away

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 16:34:56 +0000

Junior Christina Gu may have grown up thousands of miles away, but Arkansas is as much a home to her today as her birthplace is. Gu has been a student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock since August of 2016 and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is set to graduate in May of 2020. Originally from Jiaxing, China, a large city with a population of over 4 million, Gu enrolled in a foreign exchange program when she was in high school and soon left for the United States. The host family that chose her lived in Prattsville, a small town in Grant County with a population of about 300. They had a daughter the same age as Gu, and both girls attended high school in nearby Poyen. “My host family is my second family. My host sister is my sister,” said Gu. “I still go home to China for holidays, but while I’m here they are my home.” In her first year in Arkansas, Gu developed an interest in accounting from her host mom, a CPA, who introduced her both to what she does in her career as well as how taxes and other financial systems operate in the United States. At Poyen High School, Gu also was mentored by her guidance counselor, who happens to be the mother of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Leadership Corps Program Coordinator Amber Wolf. Gu soon decided that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock was where she wanted to go. “She told me about ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and CLC, and about what her daughter did. When I got here they made everything so easy. Amber, in particular, has made everything less stressful for me, and I’m really lucky to have her here,” said Gu. “I got in touch with International Student Services next. They’re really sweet and they know what they’re doing, and Miss Chloe is my fave!” At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Gu has found a place where she can develop academically, professionally, and personally. Aside from CLC, she also joined Chi Omega, which she describes as “the best sisterhood I could ask for.” She has served as president of the Chinese Student and Scholars Association and is currently working toward membership in Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is a small campus, but everyone is very kind and welcoming,” Gu said. “I also enjoy the multiculturalism and how everyone here is from a different background. I think it’s great how not everyone here is a traditional student. I’ve gotten to meet so many kinds of people because of that.” Although her major is in accounting and finance, Gu says that her true passion lies in fashion, in which she hopes to build a career. “This may sound weird, but I just love fashion,” Gu said. “I love everything from streetwear to high-end things. I’m hoping that one day I can use my business background that I’m getting here to work in marketing or something similar in the fashion industry.” In her relatively short time here, Gu says that above all else the state of Arkansas continues to impress her, and she plans on staying as long as she can. “Growing up in a big, crowded city in China I had never seen nature like we have in Arkansas,” she said. “I’m still seeing things every day that really put things into perspective. Little Rock is such a great city, and I’m thankful that I get to study here. I plan on staying involved for as long as and in any way that I can.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Venezuelan student finds new home at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Gu finds second home a world away

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Venezuelan student finds new home at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock