Students From All Over the Earth Attend Mt. SAC

October 23, 2019 - 09:09 AM

Students from 30 different countries attend classes at Mt. SAC every day, aiming to get the degree or certification that they moved thousands of miles away from home to attain.

“Most (international students) are here to get their AA and then transfer to a four year school,” said Darren Grosch, the Director of the International Student Program. “We are known as one of the top transfer institutions, so these students need a program from which they will be able to transfer to some of the best schools in the country.”  

 

 

 

 

 

“I wanted to major in Commercial Flights and so Mt. SAC has a great program,“ said Jason Lee on pursuing an education outside of China.

In fact, Mt. SAC has more international students from China than any other country.

Mt. SAC has 503 students with F-1 student visas currently enrolled. At the International Student Carnival,  the students came together to meet each other and learn about the resources available to them.

"My first year here, I would just come to school, study and go home, participating in nothing,” said Maria Jose Iglesias Basquez from Peru. “But then I realized that I was missing out, so I decided to get involved at the International Student Center. Now, I have friends and I work at the Center.”

Student clubs, looking to gain members, put on carnival games to inform the students of the advantages in getting involved in student life at Mt. SAC.

“A study out of Texas A&M showed that the barriers for international students succeeding were academic, social and personal,” said Grosch. “So, if we can get them more involved in campus clubs, they will have a much better chance at success.”

"I try to meet other international students who may be shy and let them know all that they are missing out on,” said Iglesias Basquez.  

Some of the other countries represented on campus include South Korea, Mauritius, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam, Panama, Argentina, Australia, Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), and Germany.

The most popular program for international students is Aviation, according Grosch. “We have a lot of specialty programs that appeal to these students and they see that our transfer rate is so high.”

Iglesias Basquez explained,  “The Aviation program is very well known. I heard about in Peru through word of mouth. “ 

Other popular programs with international students are Fashion Design, Art, Nursing and Business. "Athletic programs are also a magnet for students from all over the globe." said Grosch. 

Now that Lee, from China, has been a here for awhile, he really likes it. “I love the aesthetics of this school. It is a very beautiful campus.”

 

 

Iglesias Basquez likes the diversity. “You get to know people from all kinds of cultures. There is a sense of family among us, since we are all so far away from our families back home.”