Catching Up With International Alumni

Country:
Bangladesh | Brazil | Democratic Republic of Congo | Ethiopia | Ghana | Greece | India | Myanmar | Netherlands | Pakistan | Palestine/Jordan | Philippines

Class Year:
1989 | 1990 | 1994 | 1996 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001

The College of Wooster means different things to different people and everyone who has attended this campus has a unique experience to share. Read what alumni from countries spread all over the world have to say about their college experience and how it has shaped their lives to do bigger and better things.

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Hello all! I am a former Wooster international student currently living in my home country, Ghana. I have terrific memories of Wooster - how wonderful it would be if everybody could have such a positive college experience! For me, Wooster was enjoyable, demanding and stimulating. I was encouraged to take risks, to question constantly, and to maintain faith in my own abilities. I made countless mistakes and, thanks to professors, staff and peers, just as many recoveries.

When I graduated three years ago, I found I had the confidence that I needed to face new challenges, and also had tools that would help me to continue to learn and grow outside of the college environment. Since then I have lived both in the US and in Ghana - teaching dance, touring with a children's theatre company, pursuing a Master's in African Studies, and most recently, getting engaged and preparing to apply for further study in Dance. Wooster was, and still is, a large part of what I have been able to do and of what I still hope to achieve. So, would I recommend Wooster to prospective international students? Without hesitation!

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I currently work in the wholesale department for Prada, where I have been working for over 5 years. Though I like fashion, my passion actually lies in music, not in performing but more in the Promotions/Public Relations, and scouting new acts (PR/A&R) area and am planning on pursuing that in the near future. Wooster was an amazing experience for me because of its small size, which allowed me to receive a lot of individual attention from the faculty as opposed to being just a face in the crowd. It was also conducive to making some great friends, many of whom I am still in touch with. I know this all sounds like a promotional brochure, but it was very true for me -- those were the important things that defined my stay at Wooster.

Some of my favorite memories of Wooster include the following…

• On the very first day at Wooster, I met someone who was to become one of my best friends ever. We have remained friends ever since, despite living in different parts of the world for most of the past 10 yrs!
• I took a fantastic course on The Vietnam War. It culminated with a group project - we installed a monument for all the people who lost their lives in Vietnam.
• Strawberry shortcake night in Lowry!!! :
• We would all stay up late (really late) discussing our deepest convictions - what the world really needed, or pulling "all-nighters" to finish projects and ordering cheap pizza and as we gulped down gallons of coffee!
• …and then there was Independent Study, or rather, the day I turned mine in - liberation!

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There are a good number of reasons that attracted me to pursue my undergraduate degree at The College of Wooster. First and foremost is the reputable status of this college among national liberal arts colleges. According to the book Colleges That Change Lives, The College of Wooster is regarded as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country! My experiences on the campus reaffirmed that Wooster truly does change lives. I enjoyed every bit of the intimate academic community that I experienced. It was evident from Wooster's academic environment that there was, and still is, a great desire for the true success of students. The willingness and availability of professors to help students achieve whatever goals they have for themselves, is one of the most important attributes. Wooster provides great research opportunities that are not available in many other colleges. My research experience there allowed for my work to be published. My research background also affected my job search because it elevated me above the competition. The solid liberal arts education I obtained from Wooster was also beneficial to me during my application to medical schools. My liberal arts degree from The College of Wooster has opened doors for both job and continuing academic opportunities. I am currently a Chemist at Merck Research Lab.

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My years at Wooster were ones of 'finding myself'. I found that I loved sports, and coaching in particular, and so I continue to do that with a passion. I found that I love to work with kids and feed from their enthusiasm, and teaching was the natural solution. I stayed in Wooster for several years after graduation (1989-92). I was the OISA Intern, and then I worked for Residential Life and Housing and as assistant coach for the women's soccer and volleyball teams - all the while secretly preparing for a life as a teacher. I received my teaching certificate in '92 and headed out to see the world. I returned home to Greece, and I taught social studies and physical education at TASIS Hellenic International School (my former high school). In '95, I enrolled at The University of Minnesota to pursue my MA in Kinesiology. That's when I met the amazing women who would become my wife...and I followed her to Colombia. I taught at the Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, Colombia for several years, and we moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2002, when I accepted my current job as Coordinator of Physical Education and Environmental Education at the International School (ISKL). We love the school, the students, and the country. I love teaching, and I find that what makes me the happiest in life are my connections from over the years and the experiences that I share with my students, my family, and my wonderful wife. Did those years in Wooster, Ohio allow me to find myself? Sort of… but mostly, I think they allowed life to find me - and it's been wonderful! Without a doubt, there are more wonders that are still to come.

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Hi! My name is Bilal Zuberi and I have been a Wooster alum (Chemistry Dept.) since 1998. I came to Wooster in 1995 after finishing high school in Karachi, Pakistan and have now spent a significant part of my adult life in the USA. I have extremely fond memories of Wooster, from my first year in Holden Hall to the next two years in Babcock. I was involved with numerous students groups, such as ISA and the cricket team, but probably gave most of my time to the Wooster Volunteer Network. Wooster provided me with educational and developmental opportunities I had never imagined would be available to me. This was evident in a variety of ways: from the coursework and independent study program, to the dialogue on campus diversity and community leadership. How can I not mention the lovely friends I made at Mom's, the security office and my host-family. I entered graduate school right after my graduation from The College of Wooster, and received my Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003. My first 'real/off-campus' job was with The Boston Consulting Group in Boston, consulting CEOs of Fortune 500 companies on business management issues and on commercializing innovations. Now I have shifted gears to utilize my business training and technical expertise and have co-founded a technology startup in materials sciences. It's great to join the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship. I have found my rigorous yet liberal arts training extremely important to the success I have seen so far - from pure science research to business strategy; and from writing editorial articles for newspapers to advising the Government of Pakistan on higher education reforms. If there is a common to my career path so far, it is the essence of my learning at Wooster: Independence, creativity and leadership.
Thank you, Wooster!

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It is hard to write what I am up to these days... I'll give it a try. I earn my living by teaching high school chemistry and middle school science at the Carlucci American International School of Lisbon, in Portugal. I graduated from COW in May 2001 armed with a BA in chemistry and a license to teach. I marched straight back to Pakistan (which is where I am from), taught there for a year, and then found the wander lust strike me again. My life in Portugal is quite similar to my life in Wooster, with a few small but significant differences. I am still poor (I gladly spend my earnings on travel); I am still learning chemistry - but here I have to learn it before I teach it; I still live and socialize with a small group of people from America; my life revolves around work; and I still claim that nobody really understands me (!!).

I love teaching. Though itcan be frustrating and there are days when I would rather be anywhere except in front of 18 hyperactive, screaming 8th graders, I really cant imagine myself doing anything else. Portugal is an endearing place, that is close to my heart, with its slow pace of life, and organized chaos.

Where I will be after my time in Portugal? I don’t know. That’s the exciting part. It seems like yesterday that I was in the midst of trying to finish IS while student teaching at Wooster High School. My memories of Wooster are strong. I went back last year, to meet people and pick up the remainder of my stuff lying with friends and host parents. In true alumni form, I wandered around campus, gazing fondly at the buildings and grounds, the library and Lowry, Severance chemistry and my old house. I realized that I was being silly when I had watched squirrels for 10 minutes with a goofy grin on my face. I suspect, much like other alumni, I found that what I missed about Wooster was not so much the campus as the people I was there with. The friends I made while I was in college are friends for life, and though I may not meet people for many years, when I do meet them, the awkward pauses will be reduced to necessarily pausing for breath, before continuing a long stream of conversation! Not to be preachy, hang on to those people….they are worth every bit of the sleepless nights that they may cause you.

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In 1996, with my Wooster degree in hand and lots of drive and inspiration, I moved to Washington DC and tried my hand at international development. Much to my delight, I found that I enjoyed it and that my Wooster degree and IS had given me a strong foundation in international development. I worked in DC for three years before moving to New Orleans to obtain a Master of Public Health in International Health and Development from Tulane University. After a year and a half of studying at Tulane, and two blissful years of work and fun in New Orleans, I moved to Texas to obtain a second masters degree, this time in applied anthropology. I am currently halfway through the program and upon graduation I will either work abroad or for an international health agency based in New York or DC. When I think of Wooster, the things that come to mind are shared meals and laughter, dancing at the Underground, organizing events for International week and Africa week, all night study sessions, and being stimulated and challenged by IS. Although it has been a long time since I was at Wooster, I clearly remember my days there and I am constantly reminded of how my Wooster experience enriched my life. I gained invaluable friends that I still see and communicate with, and grew academically and professionally.

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Hallo hallo!! My name is Gjalt Lindeboom and although I only spent one year at Wooster, I consider myself a bit of an alumni! After finishing my high school in the Netherlands I wanted to take a break from the surroundings I was used to, and see some new places. I chose Wooster at that time and still think it was a very good choice! Because I was not pursuing any degree, I had the luxury of putting together a mixture of different courses and other activities which I'd never had time or chance to pursue. After a year, I went home to start Mechanical Engineering. Even though I stopped taking liberal art courses, I think they were broadened my perspective on life.

Besides that I loved the entire campus environment, another thing completely new when you come in from Holland. It was particularly exciting to be able to walk into a friends room and see what's up, if anybody wanted to go out play sports, go for a drink or whatever people thought of!

Right now I am finishing up some last courses for my Masters in Engineering … back in the US again, at the University of Illinois. Once I am done I will have the opportunity to finally see what the real world is like!

Recently I met up with some friends from my time back at Wooster after five years, so even when in Wooster for one year, the experiences and friendships at the school last for a long long time!!! If people have any questions about stuff you'd like to know about Wooster or even studying in Holland, feel free to drop me a line at glindenboom@hotmail.com!

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Hey there - I graduated from Wooster in 2001, and I currently live in Los Angeles, although I am native of Brazil. I work for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm as a business manager, and also taking some accounting classes at UCLA.

I have only good memories of Wooster, and after a while, even the weather was not bothersome anymore. It's tough to pick out a “favorite” memory, but a quick one that comes to my mind is when a few of us hit the road to go watch the basketball team play a championship game...a priceless experience. In any case, if you want to hear more about my stories or if you want some advice about life-after-Wooster, feel free to contact me (Office of Alumni Relations has my contact info). - Dario

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Hello! I graduated from Wooster in 1999 and relocated to Washington D.C. Although I am from Rio de Janeiro, I had gone to high school in Rockville, Maryland. I found that my years at Wooster were instrumental in my personal development, and since 1999, in my professional development. Living at Wooster introduced my to close friends and unique characters. I keep in touch with many of them to this day, and feel that as a group, we have managed to extend into our post-college lives some of the Wooster ethic: independence, inquisitiveness of thought, and intellectual honesty.

I am currently working at a health care non-profit in Bethesda, MD, and live in Wahsington DC with my fiancee. I still get back to Brazil regularly to see family, and, thanks to my job, have had the opportunity to travel to Mozambique and Rwanda. I still don't consider myself an adult, but that will probably change when I turn thirty. If you are not sure whether a small town in rural Ohio is for you or not, take my word for it: never again in your life will you have the chance to spend four wonderful years making friends for eternity, in a small town in rural Ohio. Later this week, I am taking my younger sister on her visit to Wooster, and I hope I have an excuse to visit her there...

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My name is Elora Halim Chowdhury and I am an Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. I graduated from The College of Wooster in 1994 majoring in Women's Studies and Cultural Area Studies and with a minor in Religious Studies. Since then, I have spent quite a bit of time in graduate school earning a doctorate in Women's Studies as well as working for a number of non-profit organizations in Bangladesh and the U.S. I even tried a brief, but extremely rewarding career in journalism. More recently, I have worked in the Higher Education and Scholarship portfolio in the Ford Foundation, New York. In 2002, I got married in New York to Alok Kapoor, a physician, in a gathering that brought together Wooster-grads from far-flung corners of the globe.

Favorite Wooster memory: Wooster has a very special place in my heart. That is where I developed many deep and meaningful friendships. Some of those friendships centered on conceiving of and operationalizing highly imaginative pranks. Such as, "cruising" up and down Beall Avenue honking and screaming at friendly and not-so-friendly townspeople, crank-calling and ordering pizzas for unsuspecting fellow students, cooking elaborate and barely edible meals for "India-week," participating in cultural "talent-shows," and last but not least celebrating the completion of I.S. by group-self-dousing with a variety of beverages. But seriously, it was a wonderfully fulfilling academic and social experience.

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Hello Woo! I was born in the States, but raised in Asia. Wooster was the ideal school to find the best of both worlds. While at Woo, I lived in Babcock and was a member of ISA and Chairman of the International Relations Colloquium (I don't know if this group still exists. It was an organization that Stan Hales and I set up back in 1992 to be bring internationally-minded speakers to campus). I was also a member of the International Students Orientation Committee and so had a chance to meet all the incoming international
students. Wooster was a place where Americans and foreign students could get together to play sports, have a drink, share ideas, and learn from one another. After graduating, I returned to Asia and have lived and worked there for the past 12 years in the Logistics and Call Center industries. I am now in the Philippines with my wife Clare, daughter Isabel, and daughter #2 is on her way!

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Hi I am Min. I graduated from Wooster in 2003 with a major in Chemistry. After graduation, I went back home to Myanmar (also known as Burma) to work as a research assistant at a major environmental consulting firm in the country. In the fall of 2005, I came to Bard for my master degree in Environmental Policy.

About six years ago, I was admitted to both Wooster and another top liberal arts college, which then was my first choice according to the U.S News’ Ranking. When I visited Wooster, I immediately fell in love with the school for its warm and open atmosphere. I decided to go to Wooster and I have never regretted that decision.

A Wooster education prepared me for the “real world” by providing different learning opportunities outside as well as inside the class rooms. While in Wooster, I was involved in student organizations and activities such as Model United Nations, Circle K, Environmental Concerns of Students, Greenhouse, Multi-faith Community, Student Orientation Committee, International Student Organization, and Baccalaureate Planning Committee. I also founded an intramural soccer team. I was a Residential Assistant in my senior year. Involvement in extracurricular activities such as those enriched my education at Wooster, needless to say I have made wonderful friends through those activities.

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Hello! My name is Caroline D'Silva and I attended the College of Wooster from '93 - '96. I am working for Masterfoods Europe, better known as Mars, Inc., the company responsible for brands like M&M's, Snickers, Pedigree, Whiskas and Uncle Bens. Following a two year assignment in France, I am now back in the UK, based in Nottingham - City of lace, Robin Hood - and - cricket! I am working in our Pet food team, and am responsible for part of the Whiskas brand.

Masterfoods places an emphasis on learning quickly and on critical thinking. Being a global company, the ability to work well in international teams is also highly regarded. Needless to say, the liberal arts education and exposure to a large international community at the College of Wooster have placed me in very good stead in my career.

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Since Wooster, I left for Boston to work for Investors Bank & Trust Co. as a Control Accountant. The company sponsors H1B visas and has 100% tuition re-imbursement as one of its benefits (any international students that are having difficulty finding companies that sponsor should definitely look up IBT). When I was working there, my focus was Sarbanes-Oxley interpretation, analysis, and implementation (SOX404). Meanwhile, I was attending Bentley College as an evening, part-time student where I completed my MBA in late 2004.

After Bentley, I moved to Amman, Jordan to work for Atlas Investment Group, where I am currently working as a Senior Analyst within the Research Division. The company is one of the leading investment banks in the region and focuses on emerging capital markets in Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq.

Best Wooster Memory: By far, what I remember the most (or maybe miss the most) is playing soccer for the college- the practices, the team, the locker room, the games every Wednesday and Saturday, the field. Looking back now, I realize that I had all the time in the world to play every day no matter how much schoolwork I had. I’m glad I took the opportunity to play each day because it seems like no matter how much I play soccer now, I’ll never have the chance to play as much as I did. Wooster has some great facilities, be it for sports or academics, and I would advise each student to find the thing that he/she really enjoys and take advantage of the college’s facilities. Four years will go by quick, make the most of them- you’ll hear that a lot but it’s true.

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Questions? Please contact us at isanwooster@gmail.com

ELISSA IRISH
Home Country: USA / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Major: Sociology
Class Year: 1999

Hello from Seattle! After growing up in several countries, I was definitely looking for a college which attracted students from all over the world. The diversity of Wooster s International Students was a big draw when deciding where to go to school. My years at Wooster, and study abroad experience in Australia, were great! I really enjoyed working on my I.S. which was a study of Third Culture Kids and their re-entry process back into their home country. The project challenged me and helped me gain further connections in an area that was not well-known. I was able to encourage other TCKs the following year while working as the Office of International Student Affairs Intern. This experience only reiterated my desire to stay in the field of International Education.

After completing the internship, my love of exploring new cultures took me to South Korea where I taught English for 3 years. I am now working for WorldLink Education, a language study abroad organization, and hope to be moving back overseas shortly to once again work International Students in a university setting.

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Questions? Please contact us at isanwooster@gmail.com