Name: Lina Rois
Country: Colombia
Lina is a motivated and hardworking student who has improved her language and academic skills throughout all levels of the INTERLINK English program. Starting at Level 1, Lina is now on track to graduate the program this fall before she continues her education with another advanced degree.
Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Lina completed her undergraduate studies in veterinary science and animal nutrition before moving to Mexico to complete her professional practice. She was able to hone in on her skills while working on a farm before continuing her education at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Shortly after completing her studies at UNAM, Lina moved to Greensboro to join classes at INTERLINK. Lina appreciates Greensboro’s diverse environment as it differs from her experiences in Mexico and Colombia. Living in the U.S. has allowed her to build relationships with people from regions all over the world including Asia, Africa, Europe, etc. Through these relationships, she has enjoyed learning new things about other cultures and religions. For example, she recently learned about Ramadan – a sacred and holy month observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Though she has found the value of diversity, she still misses Colombia at times. Last year she was able to celebrate Little Candles Day, a religious holiday in Colombia, with her brother and aunt in Greensboro. On Little Candles Day in Colombia you can find friends, families, neighbors all joined together for parties, food, coffee, etc. Candles and paper lanterns light up streets and alleyways all over.
Studying at INTERLINK has shown Lina how much potential she has to reach her goals. She values her instructor’s kindness, but also their strong dedication to helping students improve. Something she has found beneficial to her learning process is that there are only opportunities to speak English in class, “For example I have classmates from different countries and they don’t speak Spanish… for me that’s very helpful because I need to practice everyday”.
Lina began our program as a beginner in Level 1 and remembers having trouble understanding the conversations happening around her amongst higher level students. She knew that it would take hard work to reach their level. She sees that she has improved in her speaking skills with her pronunciation and ability to express herself. Now, Lina is working through Level 5 of our program and will graduate this year. After graduating from INTERLINK she is interested in working towards another Master’s degree or even a PhD. However, her dream is to own her own farm where she can work with cows and enjoy a sustainable lifestyle!
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