Intercultural Office

I am very proud of Shiv and all his accomplishments at Berks as an international student. The Intercultural office wishes you and all other graduating internati...onal students a successful career and life. Thanks for sharing your talents with the office and the campus. You will be missed. Ms. O Shivansh Bhatt Bhatt travels from Dubai to earn Penn State degrees May 1, 2019 WYOMISSING, Pa. For Shivansh Bhatt, attending Penn State Berks was not part of the plan. An international student born in India and raised in Dubai, Bhatt had originally applied to University Park to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. But an error with his high school transcripts prevented him from making the application deadline, and the rest, as they say, is history. Bhatt will graduate on Saturday, May 4, from Penn State Berks with dual degrees in business and information sciences and technology. With the deadline for admissions past, Bhatt was encouraged to consider alternative campus choices and to pursue a 2+2 approach to his education, with a transfer to University Park after his second year. As an international student he wasn’t familiar with the different campuses, but after being offered admission to Penn State Berks and reading positive reviews of the campus, he decided to give it a try. He said of his first visit to the campus, It was home. I loved the campus right away. As an international student with anxiety and concerns about the transition to a new country and fitting in among his fellow students, the International Student Orientation was very positive experience for Bhatt. I immediately felt welcome and appreciated; I felt like I was someone from within the Penn State Berks community from the start. Bhatt was encouraged to become an intercultural mentor to help other international students make the transition to life on campus. He initially resisted the idea, aware that it would be a potentially uncomfortable role for someone who identifies as an introvert, but allowed himself to be talked into it. After completing the training and assuming the role, he found to his surprise that it came naturally to him and that he enjoyed being in a leadership role. His own experiences as an international student were invaluable to him as a mentor, and he found a new confidence that drove him to seek additional leadership roles, including becoming an orientation leader during Welcome Weekend. As time for Bhatt’s move to University Park drew closer, a weekend visit to the campus threw an unexpected wrench into his plans. He found that nothing quite compared to the feeling of being at Berks, which had become home to him. The smaller class sizes and friendly, welcoming community were irreplaceable, as well as the potential for on-campus involvement and leadership opportunities. Bhatt decided to stay at Berks, where he was already a member of the family. After deciding to stay, Bhatt doubled down on his involvement. He enrolled in resident assistant training, became a Lion Ambassador, served as vice president and then president of the International Club, a member of the executive board of the Muslim Student Association, and a member of the Berks Technology Club. He also worked with the Office of Diversity and International Programs. He was recognized with several awards for his involvement on campus. Bhatt also completed two internships during his time at Berks: one with Aflac insurance company in their sales and marketing department and another with Deloitte management consulting company as a technology consultant. Penn State Berks has prepared me in every way possible -- from academics to developing interpersonal skills to learning how to work with different groups of people. Basically, the college prepared me for Life 101, he laughed. On a more serious note, he stated, I am very grateful to Penn State Berks for helping me. I was introverted when I arrived and through the international orientation and getting involved on campus, I grew as a person. That dedication to serving in campus roles and the lessons he learned from them have certainly paid offafter graduation Bhatt will begin a new job with Amazon as a Cloud engineer with hopes to grow during his time at Amazon and continue to pursue leadership roles. Image: Photo Courtesy of Katie Quinn

I am very proud of Aymed and her accomplishments despite the many obstacles life placed in her path. She has been a very great advocate for all areas of diversi...ty and loves people. It was great to watch her change from a delicate bud to a vibrant rose as she touched one life after another. You will be missed. Ms. O Aymed Rodriguez Ortiz Image: Photo Courtesy of Alan Shirk Rodriguez-Ortiz overcomes obstacles to earn degree Alan Shirk May 2, 2019 WYOMISSING, Pa. One could certainly say that Aymed Rodriguez-Ortiz is a resilient and resourceful student who overcame major obstacles to realize her dream of graduating from college. She will do just that on Saturday, May 4, when she earns her bachelor of arts in communication arts and sciences with a minor in global studies. It means so much to me to graduate. I have been through a lot of things that I have been able to overcome to achieve my goal, said Rodriguez-Ortiz, adding that her four years at Penn State Berks have enriched her life immeasurably and encouraged her to continue on to graduate school. A native of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez-Ortiz moved to Pennsylvania at age 3, went back to Puerto Rico, and returned for ninth grade, moving to West Lawn and graduating from Wilson High School in 2014. Her mother, Zosire her hero was her strongest supporter and source of encouragement. The transition from high school to college was a difficult one. Her family struggled to make ends meet and Rodriguez-Ortiz felt that her obligation was to go to work to help support the family. Her mother insisted that she go to college, however, and she enrolled at Penn State Berks, but could not commit to her studies. Then, during her first semester, her family's home was destroyed in a fire, but with her mother’s continued urging, Rodriguez-Ortiz remained in school. During her second semester, she was encouraged to pursue a mentor position on campus, which changed her attitude toward college. Being an intercultural mentor, being a first friend to students coming from other countries, really appealed to me, Rodriguez-Ortiz said. I felt I had found my niche and that I was able to help those who needed help transitioning to college, understanding U.S. laws and customs, strengthening English language and writing skills, and much more. Tragedy struck again when a close friend was killed in an automobile accident near the end of the semester. Rodriguez-Ortiz wanted to drop out, but her mother convinced her to return as a sophomore. She also believed that she owed it to her late friend, who had been so enthusiastic about her studies. Rodriguez-Ortiz said she literally bloomed during her second year at Penn State Berks, becoming much more involved as an intercultural mentor and as the diversity chair for the Student Government Association. She was empowered by two women in particular: Cheryl Nicholas, associate professor of communication arts and sciences, who made her see herself as a scholar, and Sharon Pitterson-Ogaldez, coordinator of diversity and international programs, who hired her as an office assistant and helped Rodriguez-Ortiz to refine her presentation skills. In her junior year, Rodriguez-Ortiz continued to excel in her academics and involvement in campus activities, but experienced yet another family issue when her younger sister, also a Penn State Berks student, was hospitalized with serious depression. She explains that at the time, she felt partially responsible because she believed she had not done as much for her sister as the students she was mentoring. Once again, she was able to deal with this family challenge and remain in school. Now, as a graduating senior, she has made her mark on the college. Rodriguez-Ortiz has among other achievements been head intercultural mentor, a social media intern for the college, and campus inclusion advocate, and served as vice president of the Chinese and Punjabi culture clubs. She excelled academically, conducting research with and serving as a teaching assistant for Nicholas and Pitterson-Ogaldez. In addition, she was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communication Association, among other honors she earned during her time at the college. Rodriguez-Ortiz also discovered the world of international travel by going on an embedded course trip to Switzerland. It was my first time overseas and because of it, this past summer I went on my own to China for a month and to Japan for 10 days, she said. In China, I was able to stay with students I had befriended at Penn State Berks as an intercultural mentor, which has made me many lifelong friends. Plus, I got a chance to practice my Chinese, which I have been studying since high school. Next she wants to use the passions she developed at Penn State Berks to pursue a master’s degree in higher education, write a book about helping youth deal with mental health issues, and eventually become a professor. I worked very hard because I wanted to make my mother proud of me, Rodriguez-Ortiz said.

Zoom Meeting for international students and their parents who are interested in attending Penn State Berks with staff and current international students. Information on how to join the meeting below: Topic: Penn State Berks International Chat #2... Time: May 8, 2018 7:15 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/5643214935 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699006833,,5643214935# or +16468769923,,5643214935# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 876 9923 Meeting ID: 564 321 4935 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/erFu7eGq0

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