Nursing student Pina Ifegwu Eke-Ibe heard about a Gateway Technical College experience while living half a world away, and that encouraged her enough to apply to the college.
Pina, from the central Africa country of Congo, scored more than 1,000 on her SAT, which qualified her to attend several colleges, and many reached out to her, asking her to apply. She declined them all – and chose to enroll at Gateway.
"One of my school instructors told me about Gateway because she has a brother who lives in Wisconsin and he attended Gateway," says Pina. "She sent me a link to the website, I applied, and eventually, I got here."
Every college journey requires students to find a new groove in their day-to-day life, and this is only amplified when jumping from one continent to another.
"It was hard at the beginning because I didn't know the difference between a technical college and a four-year college," says Pina. "I noticed that the people in my classroom weren’t always my age group. They were often older. But once I started participating in clubs, it was really helpful. I would visit other cities in the Gateway district and I found new friends."
Clubs have been a big part of Pina’s learning experience outside of classwork, and they've enriched her international college experience at Gateway immensely. Pina participates in five different clubs – The Sci Fi Club, Latinos Unidos, the Outdoor Adventure Klub (OAK), Gateway Gives Back and the International Club, where her love for student clubs began.
"I really like The International Club. We go to other cities, visit festivals and get into cultural activities. Once, we attended an event in Milwaukee where every country had a table where they’d talk about the culture there," says Pina. "I saw a bunch of tables from countries in Africa, which made me so happy. And I also got to learn more about other cultures and their foods, which was so good."
Some clubs offered quite a bit of adventure. "With OAK, we went kayaking. That was my first time doing that, and I didn't know how to swim. It was a big step because I had to get out of my comfort zone. And it was an eight-mile kayaking trip. When I was done, I was so tired, but it was so fun."
And all of these experiences make Gateway a unique college experience for which Pina is thankful.
"This might not be a traditional college, but I’m enjoying my experience. While it was difficult in the beginning, the second I was aware of the resources and the fun things to do on campus, I was like, 'Oh, this could really work.'
"I was scared to talk to people at the beginning because English isn't my first language. But I learned to take the first step and reach out and be brave. And that worked out great. I got to meet so many people and see so many places I wouldn’t have seen without being in these clubs."
Guiding her through all of this were incredible members of Gateway's staff.
"International Education staff were the first people to tell me to get into the clubs. And the first one they recommended was the International Club," says Pina. "Once I was in that club, they helped me find others. I would advise all international students to reach out to International Education staff members, as they’re really helpful in getting you the resources you need to make the most of your time in college."