Alumni Updates – El Salvador
Jorge “Koky” Miranda, St. Cloud State University, 2009-2010
After finishing his Global UGRAD Program at St. Cloud, Koky went on to finish his degree at home in El Salvador. Due to the high grades he received while on the Global UGRAD Program, he was invited back to complete his masters degree. While studying at his original host institution for the second time, Koky connected university officials with the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador to help promote more Salvadoran participation in exchange programs, and succeeded with support from the “100,000 Strong in the America’s Program.”
After six months of negotiations, Koky was able to help facilitate the arrival of three Salvadorans to begin their master’s degrees. This includes Mariel Osorio, a 2009-2010 Global UGRAD student, who studied at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.
Koky was, and still is, eager to continue assisting others using the skills, experiences, and networks he developed while in the United States.
Jaime Montoya, University of Alabama, Huntsville, 2009-2010
Jaime returned to the United States on the Fulbright Program, studying at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2013. He stated that the Global UGRAD Program created “fantastic opportunities” for him, and opened the door to for him to return to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar. In turn, Fulbright is now opening the next door for him.
After finishing his Fulbright, Jaime returned to Rochester, New York, only moving a few miles down the road to the University of Rochester. He is now in his first year of pursuing a PhD in Computer Science. In addition to his own accomplishments, he states that “My friends in UGRAD continue to inspire and challenge me to become as successful and exemplary as they are.” Once a UGRAD, always a UGRAD!
Jenniffer Gonzalez, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2010-2011
During her Global UGRAD Program, Jenniffer studied TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After returning home to finish her degree, she went on to become an English teacher. She works on a daily basis instructing young students so they,
too, can one day achieve fluency. She stated that in addition to being able to teach the students the English language,
she is also able to discuss American culture with them thanks to all of her experiences and travels while in the United States. Jenniffer stated that she is “proud because I’m improving my country’s education.”