“My experience has been super good and I enjoyed my four years of completing my Bachelor’s degree here. I came to a completely different culture with different studying styles and that was very unique to education in my native country.

A misconception that I had was that with it being a completely different culture and people here are less open and more conservative and it will be very difficult to feel comfortable here.

But I had an awesome experience [while working] at the Iowa State University Foundation; I realized that Americans are one of the nicest people I have ever met. They are respectful, helpful and are always welcoming.

The challenge that I faced this school year is finding a full-time job.

It was really difficult to present yourself as an international student in front of employers because it comes with a number of time-consuming paperwork and legal issues that [employers] have to deal with.

The most rewarding experience I had during the school year was when I received a promotion in November as Senior Program Assistant at Iowa State University Foundation Phone Center.

Overall, I think this school year has shaped me; personally it has made me more engaging, punctual and professional as a person.

The biggest thing I am looking forward to is the full-time position I accepted as a Data Analyst with the Iowa State University Foundation and I am very excited about it.

The only thing that I learned from this experience is that networking is one of the most important tools in making better connections and that could eventually lead to great results.

There isn’t anything I would change about my experience this school year. The school year was awesome. [It came with] lots of stress in the job search process, but I’m happy and proud that I received an offer eventually.

Iowa State has been a blessing for me and I am honored and blessed that I could come to a country like the United States and pursue my higher education.”

            –Words by Tushar Sharma, senior in management informational systems