Student Profiles

Our students come from around the world and bring diverse experiences to their programs at the Center for International Studies. Here are a few profiles of students pursuing their graduate degrees at the Center.

Luísa Antunes Garcia de Campos Belo Horizonte, Brazil Graduate Student, Latin American Studies Program Luísa decided to pursue her Master’s degree at Ohio University because of the strong partnership OU has with her university in Brazil. She is among five Brazilian students who are currently enrolled in the Latin American Studies program. Luísa, who studied as an exchange student in Michigan during high school, loves having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and experience new languages and cultures. She is a native speaker of Portuguese and can also speak English, Spanish, and Italian. Luísa completed her undergraduate degree in Brazil at UNA (União de Negócios e administração)  in business administration and international trade and will focus her Master’s on the internationalization of Brazilian companies.  After completing her degree, Luisa will go on to get her PhD and possibly be a professor.

Jonathan Gray Wilmington, Ohio Undergraduate Student, Asian Studies Major Senior Jonathan Gray is constantly immersing himself in Thai culture. During high school, he spent a year as an exchange student in Thailand. He spent a semester studying at Thammasat University and then returned to Thailand through OU’s Global Learning Community to conduct research. He chose to study at Ohio University because it is among seven schools in the country that offers courses in Thai. He soon discovered that OU has an extremely diverse student body, and has found his best friends in the international community. After graduating in the spring, Jonathan will revisit Thailand to spend a year teaching English and Thai. Eventually he would like to attend graduate school to become a translator.

Marissa Johnson Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Graduate Student, Southeast Asian Studies Program After completing her undergraduate degree at The University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Marissa decided to pursue her Master’s degree at Ohio University after hearing that the Southeast Asian Studies program is among the best in the country. She was immediately pleased to find herself in a unique academic atmosphere in which she was surrounded by students from all over the globe. Marissa contributes to the diversity of the program by sharing knowledge gained through her travel experiences in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Tibet and India. After teaching English in Thailand for a year, Marissa can now speak Thai conversationally and continues to take language courses through her program.  After obtaining her Master’s, Marissa hopes to pursue a PhD and then join the US Foreign Service.

Jim Laske Akron, Ohio Graduate Student, International Development Studies Program After living overseas in for the past five years working for the Peace Corps in the Kingdom of Tonga and traveling through New Zealand, South East Asia, Europe and Latin America, Jim decided to come back to his home state of Ohio to participate in the International Studies program at OU. During his short stay in the US before heading to Latin America to manage projects with NGO’s and non-profit organizations, Jim will study international development with a focus on Latin America. James prides himself on being the only known person at Ohio University who is fluent in the Tongan language, as well as speaking Spanish.

Patrick Litanga Kisangani, D.R. Congo Graduate Student, African Studies Program Patrick’s interest in African Studies stems from his unique experiences in Africa. Patrick was able to escape his war-trodden home of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and journeyed to South Africa, where he lived as a refugee for two years.  During this experience Patrick lived through the difficult conditions of the refugee camp and witnessed horrible occurrences, such as the use of child soldiers. Patrick overcame his challenging past and came to the US to start a new life. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in psychology with a philosophy minor. He was attracted to the African Studies at OU because of the selection of courses and the eight African languages that are taught. Patrick speaks Swahili, Lingala, English and French as well as conversational Spanish. He is taking an independent study course in Swahili. While at OU, Patrick hopes to focus on child soldiers in Africa. He would like to continue on to earn a PhD in conflict resolution and work for an international organization.

Carolina Proano-Castro Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador Graduate Student, Communication and Development Studies Program Carolina came to Ohio University after completing an undergraduate degree in biological science at Catholic University in Ecuador. She chose Ohio University and the Center for International Studies because of the interdisciplinary curriculum that is offered. She is taking courses in mass communications, communication and development and tropical biology.  Carolina plans to focus her studies on social development in Ecuador and how communication and biology are linked on public health and conservation issues. Like many students at the Center for International Studies, Carolina can speak several languages including English, Spanish, French and Italian. After completing her Master’s degree, Carolina hopes to return to Ecuador to work with UNESCO on public health issues.

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