Why did you decide to earn your degree in the United States?

"Most important for me is that I’ve played tennis since I was 6 years old. In Latvia, you can’t pursue both academics and athletics like you can in the United States. I wanted to continue playing tennis in college and that had a lot of influence in my decision to study here.

"I’m interested in a career in international business, so attending college in the United States has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the world. I plan to go back to Europe after I graduate. My experience living abroad will be a great asset to me."

What drew you to study at Towson?

"Towson is in a wonderful geographic location. It’s close to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and is just a short trip away from other major cities like New York. It’s also the right size—large enough for there to be a diverse population and a lot of resources, but classes are still pretty small.

"Towson also has a very good economics program, which is my major, and offers me the flexibility to minor in areas outside of my main focus of study. I’m minoring in German, communications, and international business to help prepare me for a career at home in Latvia. A lot of schools don’t allow their students so much flexibility."

Has Towson helped to ease your transition to American culture?

"There is a great orientation program for all incoming international students to get them introduced to the campus and the community. I actually worked as an ambassador in that program this year to assist new international students coming in. We helped new students create schedules, took them shopping, went to local restaurants, and helped them get oriented to American culture."

So is it ever difficult being a student in a foreign country?

"The international community at TU is very large and it doesn’t take long at all for you to start feeling like any other student at Towson. The students and professors here are very welcoming, and the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) does an amazing job of bringing international students together to support and learn from one another."

You said you want to go back to Europe when you graduate. Do you have a job lined up yet?

"Yes. I did an internship in the summer of 2006 with a big company in Europe. The company has since offered me a job in exports/imports that will allow me to travel a lot, do business with people of diverse cultures and apply all that I’ve learned at TU—it’s the job that I’ve always wanted."