World Citizens - DePaul University

Mariana Dalto, a graduate student in finance from Buenos Aires,
may well stay here after fulfilling her longtime goal to earn an MBA in the
United States. She is set on a career in corporate finance and says that,
because “in Argentina the economy is not good,” her growth opportunities
are here. “Here, when you go in a company they train you; you have the
opportunity to learn while you’re working. Here you can be 25 years old and
be a manager. In Argentina, you can’t be a manager until you’re 40,” she says.
After studying five years in Argentina for her undergraduate degree,
working as an au pair in Wisconsin and Boston to improve her English
language skills, then training in an internship program with Marriott
Hotels in Chicago, Dalto is happily installed in the MBA program,
working as a research assistant in the finance department at DePaul
during the day and attending classes at night. She chose DePaul’s program
for its flexibility and because people at DePaul reached out to her.
“When I was looking for schools, I went to other open houses.
I didn’t feel welcome. My advisor at the [Kellstadt] open house was
helping international students understand the system. When I e-mailed
her, she e-mailed me back with all the information I needed. She was
always nice and helpful and made me feel welcome,” Dalto says.
Like other international students, Dalto has found the ISO a
great support resource. “When I had to change my visa, I didn’t need
to hire a lawyer. Jane [Kalista, advisor, ISO] gave me all the support
and information I needed, even though she’s so busy,” she says.
Bojana Murisic, an undergraduate math major and a student
athlete on DePaul’s tennis team, who came to study from Subotica,
Serbia, also feels that her opportunities are here. “In Serbia, the conditions
are very poor, so of course I would like to go back and be with
my parents, but it’s much better for me [here].”
Murisic would like to become an actuary for an insurance company
or consulting business, and wants to get her MBA after she finds
a job. “I felt comfortable as soon as I got here,” she says. “I like the
environment around DePaul very much, and especially because six
[out of nine] of my teammates are European. Actually, my best friend
from Serbia is also playing tennis here.”
Like other international students, she finds her professors very
helpful and is surprised at the degree to which they make themselves
available, compared with instructors in her home country. “When I
first got here I saw the syllabus of one professor. His name was written
and office hours, phone number and e-mail address. I thought,
‘Why would he give me his phone number?’” she says.
Jordan Liu (CTI ’00), who came here in 1998 as a master’s degree
student and as part of a group of 20 students that CTI had recruited in
Shanghai, feels torn between his new home and his adopted one. Now
nearly finished with his Ph.D. and working as a part-time instructor at
DePaul, he lives in Chicago with his wife, Maggie Tan (CTI ’03), who
also came here from China and completed a master’s degree. “After you
graduate, you’re caught between two continents to decide whether to
pursue a higher degree,” Liu says. “Not only do you have to consider
your own personal pursuit, also you have to consider family far away.”
Liu enjoys Chicago and has always felt very welcome at DePaul.
“The most difficult thing is being afraid of not fitting in, because we
[the people in his department] are so different…At DePaul, maybe
because of the culture or because of the Vincentian ideology, I feel most
of the people are good at talking to people. It’s the reason I stayed.”
He is attracted to the opportunities emerging in his rapidly developing
homeland, but would miss many of the things he enjoys about the
culture here. “In China, you can’t talk about politics,” he says.
Wherever he chooses to make his home, Liu is aware he has a most
valuable tool—a dual perspective. “Because I have been in both countries,
I can put myself in both environments. The biggest thing that surprised me
is the misunderstanding between people just because of where they are.
It definitely enhances your ability to think; you add one more perspective.”
No matter where they go from DePaul, Chicago and the United
States, all international students share this valuable insight. They—along
with those students born here who venture forth to other countries—
become citizens of the world.
Croatia
Hungary
They’ve come—these
bold, well-educated,
highly motivated
students—to enjoy the
advantages of a superior
university education.
And going the other direction…
Outbound students from DePaul study in the following locations this year:
Mexico City, Mexico
Istanbul, Turkey
Vienna, Austria
Dublin, Ireland
Krakow, Poland
Leuven, Belgium
Madrid, Spain
Melbourne, Australia
Osaka, Japan
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Sheffield, England
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
Argentina
Chile
El Salvador
Ghana
Hawai’i
Kenya
London, England
Morocco
Nagoya, Japan
Merida, Mexico
Athens, Greece
Beijing, China
Hong Kong
Bonn, Germany