In addition to our many alumni success stories, we also like to hear from the parents of our international students. Read on to hear one of their stories.
How did you hear about Kent State?
I have been familiar with Kent State for a long time. I work in a university that has a partnership with Kent State, which is very strong. It dates back 15 years when we didn’t have an exchange program and our research projects joined Kent State’s research projects. I always felt that Kent State had a very similar environment as our university in terms of values, particularly in welcoming students. So it was a big match - that is why I rely on Kent State.
Tell us a bit about Lucas, your son.
We have lived in the USA and Canada before, and I think that was what opened my son’s eyes to international education. He just finished high school in Brazil last year. Lucas told me and my wife that he wanted to study abroad, and we told him that it would be hard. But then the process to apply began, choosing universities and everything. Lucas did all this by himself. He applied to Kent State, after hearing so much from me and he decided it would be a good university to study at.
How did you feel during his first week at Kent State?
I came with him the first time, so he was able to buy and find everything he needed. I tagged along for the first 7 days, just to be sure everything was right and organized. Everything was easier this way because he had the whole structure of the university to protect and help him. Especially the international student orientation, which gave him an opportunity to meet and connect with a lot of other students. That was a nice surprise that it was all so fast how he connected and created this group of friends.
How is he settling in at Kent State?
I have talked to Lucas regarding his course load, and he has some very hard classes like physics for example. He is very bright, I’m biased to say, but he always liked math and logical part of everything like chess. He learned how to play the piano just by watching other people play. So, it’s always been easy for him to learn or do anything that he really wants.
I was really scared when he decided to come to Kent State because he had just turned 18 and the pandemic also just ended, but I believe that was a period that he matured the most. Besides all that, the Brazilian culture is very protective, and we thought he was not ready. He wanted it so badly that we thought, “Let’s give him this chance.” And of course he struggled in the beginning, but he managed it well. He had a great time his first year, and he changed a lot during this time by maturing and growing in all aspects of life.