Tag: International Students

Berea Student Develops Hackathon in Tajikistan

Last modified: July 26, 2018
Group of hackathon participants

KhujandHacks participants gathered for Tajikistan’s first hackathon on April 30, 2018.
(Photo: Sher Sanginov ’19)

Sher Sanginov ’19, a Berea College senior majoring in computer science, recently conducted a hackathon in Khujand, his home city in Tajikistan. Sanginov did not know what a hackathon was until he came to college in the United States, but during his time at Berea College he has had opportunities to participate in Major League Hackathons (MLH). A hackathon, sometimes called an invention marathon, is usually a day-long event where technology professionals and students meet; design a product, such as a web application; and develop a business plan to create a technology solution for a given issue. Continue reading Berea Student Develops Hackathon in Tajikistan →

President Lyle Roelofs Affirms Berea’s Ongoing Commitment to Its International and DACA Students

Last modified: May 21, 2018

Lyle RoelofsDear Bereans,

As you are aware, on Friday, January 27, President Trump issued an executive order that immediately suspended entry to the United States by citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for at least 90 days and halted the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. The situation continues to evolve as federal courts have issued temporary stays and the ACLU and others strive to reverse or limit the effect of this order. Continue reading President Lyle Roelofs Affirms Berea’s Ongoing Commitment to Its International and DACA Students →

Hong Ren Zhang Durandal

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Many business majors just hope to get a good job once they’re out of college. Berea College senior Hong Durandal, however, can’t wait that long. He has started his own local energy consulting firm — Energy Hunters — which he runs and balances with his schoolwork and labor position at the college. This isn’t just some pie-in-the-sky, glorified lemonade stand business, either. Oh no, you can watch former president Bill Clinton speak about Energy Hunters at its website (link below). Obviously, this is a great achievement regardless of the circumstances, but it is especially impressive if you know Hong’s unconventional journey to America, to Berea, and to the field of sustainability. Continue reading Hong Ren Zhang Durandal →

Sasha Solomatova: a world-wise young woman

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Born in Russia but raised in Kygyzstan, Sasha Solomatova, ‘12, came to Berea to stretch beyond her comfort zone and explore globalization in a melting pot of inquisitive students and experienced scholars from various social backgrounds. “The world is always moving, so should we,” she says. Indeed, ever since her inception into the Berea community, she has engaged herself in every dimension of the academic, social, and extracurricular life that Berea has to offer. She served as the president of the Cosmopolitan Club, worked in the student government as the vice president of her freshman class, took significant part in the debate and swimming teams, and has been an active member of Berea’s Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE) chapter. Continue reading Sasha Solomatova: a world-wise young woman →

Ahmad Shuja: Embracing Education

Last modified: May 25, 2018

Before 9/11, Ahmad Shuja, ’11, wanted to be an astronaut. In the aftermath of the bombing in Afghanistan by U.S. forces, refugees from his native country flooded into Quetta, Pakistan, where his family had moved when he was six. Foreign correspondents soon followed, and Ahmad, then only in eighth grade, missed days of school to translate for some of them. Impressed by the importance of the journalists’ work, he decided to pursue a career in journalism. He refused payment from the reporters, but instead collected their business cards, hoping that they could provide his future link to an education abroad. Continue reading Ahmad Shuja: Embracing Education →