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International students study at Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, Iowa may not come to mind for many people around the world as a place to come for an education, but that’s exactly what 74 students have done this year at Marshalltown Community College.

Those students come from countries all over the world, bringing their life experiences and search for knowledge to small-town Iowa.

“This is my first time to be in America,” said Tokyo, Japan native and MCC sophomore Ryota Masuko.

Moving from one of the largest cities in the world to a town of less than 30,000 was a bit of a shock, but Masuko said he likes it here.

“In Marshalltown, there are no high-up buildings,” he said. “The food is very different … I like it, but it’s very different.”

Masuko said his diet back home was built around rice and fish. He said he notices much more meat and pizza consumption in Marshalltown.

He said the college and city have been welcoming since he arrived here for college. Masuko said he would like to continue learning in the United States to study biology.

“I’m thinking to go to some university and get my bachelors (degree), and I would like to get my Ph. D., too,” he said.

Masuko said he fell in love with biology after helping a doctorate student research marine organisms over the summer. He has also been helping out the managerial staff for the college soccer team.

Freshman Amanda Lopez has had a distinct experience in Iowa. She has been in Marshall County for about two years and moved from Valencia, Venezuela to State Center and attended West Marshall High School from her junior year onward.

“I’m doing liberal arts right now because I want to double major in business and English,” she said. “I think I don’t want to leave Iowa, at least not for college, because I like Marshalltown and Marshall County so much. I like how peaceful it is.”

Lopez’s mother Yamilet is also attending MCC and learning English. Lopez said she is also involved in cheerleading at MCC and is thinking she will transfer to the University of Iowa when she is done at the community college.

MCC International Students and Programs coordinator Vickie Unferth came to the district in mid-October to help students navigate coming to and thriving at the college.

“They’re friendly and generally pretty conscientious students,” she said. ‘I would say they like (MCC). They feel it’s a friendly place.”

She said many international students hear about MCC by word-of-mouth through relatives or friends who attended. About two-thirds of international students at MCC play a sport.

“Some of the second-year or third-year students have talked to me about getting used to the cold weather,” Unferth said.

Students wishing to study in Marshalltown have some requirements to meet. They must send in an initial application, prove they have sufficient grades and English proficiency to be successful at MCC, and must have at least $13,874 available to pay for one year of college, among other requirements.

“Then, once they’re officially admitted, they’re provided with an I-20, which basically gives them a right to apply for a visa,” Unferth said.

That document has to be approved by the federal government, but she said the college advises students on navigating the visa process.

She said most international students live on campus and those who are on athletic teams seem to bond well with their American peers.

While some college campuses around the country have felt the effect of federal travel bans from some Muslim-majority countries, Unferth said MCC hasn’t been impacted.

“I don’t think those are the countries that have been providing students here,” she said.

This year, there are students from Andorra, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, France, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Phillipines, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Uganda, Ukraine and Venezuela.

By the numbers — International Students at Marshalltown Community College

From South America to Asia to Africa and beyond, there are over two dozen countries represented at Marshalltown Community College.

Here is a breakdown of those 74 students:

• Brazil – 14 students

• Spain – 13 students

• Japan – 7 students

• Venezuela – 6 students

• China – 6 students

• Serbia – 3 students

• South Korea – 3 students

• Cameroon – 2 students

• Canada – 2 students

• Dominican Republic – 2 students

• One student from each of Andorra, Chile, France, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Phillipines, Senegal, Sweden, Taiwan, Uganda and Ukraine.

• Forty-six of the 74 students play a sport for the MCC Tigers including soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball.

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Contact Adam Sodders at (641) 753-6611 or

asodders@timesrepublican.com

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