MassBay Community College student, Isis Sanchez Zarate, originally came to the U.S. to participate in an exchange program to learn English. In her native country, she had earned a bachelor's degree in registered nursing. Becoming a student at MassBay was a wonderful experience for her because since day one, she received a lot of support from her professors and the MassBay staff.
When she first started, she spent a lot of time in the Academic Achievement Center, which helps students with reading and writing. She also signed up for a few extracurricular activities such as the International Club, the Writing Club, and the Multicultural Mentoring Program.
Isis was fortunate to be the recipient of the Salomon-Fernandez Scholarship. A dinner is held at the end of the semester to thank all the donors. She had a wonderful time meeting with the other scholarship recipients and the donors. At times, when she was stressed due to midterms or finals, she took advantage of MassBay’s counseling office, where students can get emotional support by talking to a counseling expert and discussing what is bothering them. It helped relieve her anxiety and worry during finals and midterms.
She would like to complete her studies to become a nurse here in America, work at a hospital, pursue a master’s degree, then, return to her country to share what she learned in the U.S.