[alaya_dropcap]T[/alaya_dropcap]he College of Social Sciences was quite excited to interview Sergio Langarica (Mexico) and Mariia Morozova (Russia) from the IMES program, where they both recently graduated from in June.

Mariia and Sergio’s opinions strike differences in their plans, however, their training in the IMES program has put them in the path to great personal and professional success. Mariia has said that she wants to start work here in Taiwan as soon as possible while taking Mandarin Chinese classes in the evening; while Sergio says that he would like to take a break after writing his thesis to enjoy more of Taiwan and his hobbies before finding a job. Though they are looking for different paths after graduation, both of them feel a little sad (and relieved) that their studies are over. This is because Sergio found the experience of doing a degree program in Taiwan very worthwhile, on top of the academic gain he found the local food, culture, and people the most interesting. Mariia, on the other hand, enjoyed meeting people from all over the world while studying at NCCU.

From Sergio’s love of food, people and culture, there’s no doubt that he enjoyed his time in the IMES program especially the outings arranged by the I-programs. Particularly, one aspect that he kept stressing was how great people had been over the past two years. Sergio answered almost every question with how great the people were around him and how it really made for a great experience for him within the IMES program and his time at NCCU. As one of the CSS Newsletter reporters, Sergio has been a real hard worker and helps bring this website to the readers. At this time when he is transitioning from graduation to employment, he gave advice to both present and future students of the I-programs that they should “make the most out of it” and try to “fully immerse themselves in the new culture and school life”.

Mariia also expressed her enthusiasm for Chinese learning and strive to get her Chinese proficiency as high as she possibly can. She’s already taken several terms here at NCCU’s Chinese Language Center (CLC), and after she starts her job this fall in Taipei, she hopes to take evening courses to master Mandarin. But, just like Sergio, she also advocated how great it has been to have met so many great people from so many different places around the world. She concluded the interview by commenting on her overall experience: “It definitely broadened my horizons and contributed to my personality in a positive way.”

We here at the CSS newsletter would like to congratulate Mariia and Sergio on their accomplishments, and wish them all the best for their futures, wherever they may land!