International Student Affairs at Moraine Valley Community College

11/02/2024

04/02/2022

Ramadan Mubarak to our muslim students, faculty, staff, and families!

03/14/2022

Have you stopped by the International Student Affairs Office lately? If so, you probably saw our lovely Departmental Assistant, Theresa James! If you have not met her yet, please stop by and say hello!

03/11/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women’s Stories

“Separating from our family was the most difficult part of coming to study in the U.S. It was a process of vast emotions. Getting here and having to adapt to a new environment was complicated. Everything was with the mentality that in due time things would get less complex. So far it has been a good experience overall. Classes have helped a lot and it all has been interesting and different. We are always learning something. Sometimes change is necessary…
Almost all the women in our family do end up studying and continuing onto higher education, but none have completed the full process to study internationally. We have been the first to do this long process. The political situation in our country, Venezuela, is a complicated one. After COVID things worsened; the universities are not as functional today as before so our parents decided that we needed a big opportunity to continue our studies because education is very important in our family. In our family, 90% of the women have finished their university studies; completing your studies has been a requirement. It is important to continue studying and achieving goals. We both have the same major interest, we both want to study something with the body or with medicine- possibly pharmacy or nursing…
Being a woman is being a person who has to work hard to get the things she wants to achieve and who fights with all she has to show that we can do what many don't think we can. Being a woman means having to be a person with a lot of courage and a person who pursues their goals…
Being a woman is being resilient, being constant, a fighter, being brave, and never giving up despite the obstacles you face…”

Sofia Gabriela Rodriguez-Soriano & Maria Daniela Rodriguez-Soriano
Trujillo, Venezuela

Photo Credit: Glenn Carpenter

03/10/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women's Stories

“I am an international student from Mongolia, currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science. My country is located between Russia and China and I came to the USA right after I finished high school. Coming to the U.S. and to Moraine Valley, there were a lot of things I needed to learn and my first semester wasn’t that easy, especially being away from my family and changing my environment but luckily with the help of wonderful people at school and friends, I am learning many things and getting closer to my goal. I think studying in the U.S. is one of the best choices I have made…
In my family, I am the first woman that has studied abroad. My parents went through the socialist era in Mongolia and they both had degrees in finance. They believed in education and taught us what the value of it is. In Mongolia, women have the right to study and pursue a degree and 60% of students attending a university are women, however when it comes to jobs, men have more higher positions than women. There is also still a significant gap between men and women in science and technology which is why I am majoring in Computer Science so that I can be part of the change and help other women get in this field. I want to improve inequality in the workforce and lift other women up.
I think being a woman is being a daughter, sister, mom, a friend, leader and whatever she wants to be, with freedom to choose her own path. Each one is special and a unique human being. Women deserve to be seen as individual with skills, personality, and their unique beauties.”

Lkhagvadulam Boldkhuu, Computer Science Student
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Photo Credit: Glenn Carpenter

03/10/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women's Stories

"I am a first generation college graduate as my parents were not able to finish school at the time. It was difficult to navigate cultural expectations and my desire to go to school “away”-- whether out of state or abroad—it was unheard of in my family. Not only did I major in fields that were not common for Asian/South Asian first-generation students at the time, I also studied abroad in England as a part of my studies at University of California. While early education was very important and anything less than an “A” was not acceptable; it was seen as a key for a successful life for men more than women (my father came from a mindset or generation where higher education pursuits were not as important as marriage). I was different in that I pursued non-traditional career paths outside of medicine or engineering, which are still more common for Indian-Americans. My path was different entirely due to life circumstances and interests. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the journey and for breaking some gender barriers and stereotypes in my family...
To me, being a woman means being a human being. It’s complex and multidimensional. Its being whoever you want to be—strong, powerful, compassionate, etc. That said, I cannot separate the strong social constructs and familial pressures that emanate from my heritage and how it impacts traditional gender roles then and now. Carrying the identities of a South Asian woman and a first-generation American, this creates many layers intertwined with many histories, cultures, and circumstances. Being a woman? It’s gift. An evolving story of survival, solidarity and hope."

Tamima Farooqui, Employment Equity Manager
California, USA

Photo Credit: Glenn Carpenter

03/08/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women's Stories

"In my country, Nigeria, education is very important for women… it's your choice to make, maybe you want to find out more or you want to stop there, as for me, this is my 2nd degree. I decided to study more and have an international experience…
I am happy going into IT because I see it as a major for a lot of guys, but I don’t see many women studying it. Studying to be a cyber security specialist, I will be able to do all things that I have seen men do and I will be able to do it not only for myself, but also for my family, and for my country. In the future I see myself working with the government in the U.S. or in Nigeria to help stop crime…
Overall, being a woman is challenging but we are very strong, and I want to send kudos to every woman and tell them that we keep going strong, no weakness.”

Sakirat Adeyemo, IT Student
Ibadan, Nigeria

03/07/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women's Stories

"Women wear so many hats, me being a mom right now, I see women being seen as caretakers. I see my role as being the caretaker of various issues and various situations, whether they are positive or negative. However, I also see through the lens of my little daughter that we are not just the caretakers, we can also be the pioneers in so many different fields, we can be brave and venture out into so many different avenues because of our perspective, our caring perspective is so applicable within the strict world of technology and math. It’s not just simple cut and dry in those fields. Women bring awareness that we have...

What being a woman means is something that we are still figuring out because there are so many different groups where traditional roles are currently being challenged, even still because you would think that all that is ended. Now, women are just free to do whatever, and there are still so many environments in which that role is still being challenged and extended. But I’m still figuring out my world, because the traditional things that my family says I’ve already gone against and then I’m pushing my daughter to go against the traditional roles to find her own face in this area where some things have been predefined and we can not step outside of those boundaries. So I guess, in this current world, being a woman is finding your voice, find your space and then tying it back to caring for the world because men and women equally want to have a better planet for future generations."

Anna Chmiel, Academic Advisor
Bialy Dunajec, Poland

Photo Credit: Glenn Carpenter

03/07/2022

Humans of Moraine Valley: International Women's Stories

Although International Women's Day is tomorrow, March 8th, we will be celebrating it all week long.

Examine a snapshot in the lives of international women and their impact on the campus community. We will highlight a woman each day for the week.

02/16/2022

Our Coffee and Conversation program is back on-campus this semester! Come and practice your English language skills or help others practice theirs!

02/03/2022

Another snow day. Moraine Valley will be closed on tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 3. All classes are canceled as is in-person and remote work. Check your MV email for details.