Tchuissi Mbu Nyamsi

Degree: MPS in Data Science
Hometown: Paris, France 
Plans: Data science consultant at CrossCountry Consulting

“Thanks to the UMBC program and the support of the Career Center and others, I feel well prepared to enter the workforce in the U.S. and to bring [my] unique perspective.”

While working at Sodexo, a food services company, Tchuissi Mbu Nyamsi ’22 realized that there were data problems she wanted to solve. “I realized it was something I really wanted to have more knowledge in and I wanted to sharpen my skills,” she says. So she enrolled in UMBC’s master’s program in data science at the Universities at Shady Grove.

Mbu Nyamsi had only recently come to the United States from her home country of France to work at Sodexo, a French company, after having lived in several other countries around the world. “I wanted to experience this entrepreneurship mindset in the U.S. and have a new kind of international experience,” she says.

With her passion for math, knowledge of data science, and intercultural communication skills, Mbu Nyamsi looks forward to working as a consultant in data science. “It’s a big strength,” she notes, “to be able to combine my technical, language, and soft skills.”

Story written by Karen Stysley.

Kateryna Yakusheva

Degree: B.A., Global Studies; B.A. Economics
Hometown: Kherson, Ukraine
Plans: Work in an intercultural role before graduate school

“Studying at UMBC helped me see the value of intercultural communication and helped me learn from other cultures as well.”

Kateryna Yakusheva ’22, global studies and economics, looks forward to working on the international stage, with an organization like the World Bank or International Monetary Fund. Wherever her career takes her, she knows she wants to help different groups come together to manage risks, address conflicts, and build new futures.

This vision for her future is inspired by her intercultural college experience in the U.S. Yakusheva came to Maryland from Ukraine eight years ago. She has focused on gaining exposure to many different cultures. 

While a student at Montgomery College, she was a delegate for the National Model United Nations. After transferring to UMBC she took courses in Chinese, adding to her language skills in Russian, Ukrainian, and French. The Chinese language courses added another dimension to her coursework in global studies. “It really opened my mind to doing things in a different way,” she says.

Yakusheva recommends that everyone get experience with other peoples’ ways of doing things. “There are so many clubs at UMBC where you can contribute and come to learn about other cultures,” she says, so students should “definitely participate in as many activities as they can.”

Story written by Karen Stysley

Caleb Ruck

Degree: B.A., Modern Languages & Linguistics (Spanish and German)
Minors: Anthropology and Latin American Studies, certificate in Intercultural Communication
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Plans: M.A., Intercultural Communication at UMBC 

“I like that grittiness we have at UMBC—that you chose to be here and everyone is here because they’re just into what they study and want to grow.”

An aspiring polyglot, Caleb Ruck ’22, modern languages and linguistics, collected languages like Pokemon when he was young. No college felt right, however, until the day he toured UMBC. He knew right away that it was where he belonged. “I genuinely think that UMBC is the best possible fit that I could have gotten,” he says, “it has a very deliberate underdog spirit.”

Caleb Ruck with host family in Argentina. (Image courtesy of Ruck)

Soon he began to find that the cultural aspects of language were just as appealing as the mechanics. His advisor Elizabeth Arévalo-Guerrero, who he calls his “main cheerleader,” pointed out that he could earn an intercultural communication certificate with just a few more classes, so he decided to go for it. Ruck delved into how people use language and never looked back. 

In Fall 2019 he studied abroad in Argentina, which gave him “a taste of communicating with people who experience the world in a very different way.” Back at UMBC, he went on to do a research project and presentation focused on understanding differences in the perceived prestige of native English-speaking bilinguals versus English language learners on social media. 

Ruck looks forward to continuing his studies with a master’s degree in intercultural communication, a field he describes as “vital” for broadening perspectives and opening doors.

Story by Karen Stysley.

Nastaran Azar

Degree: B.S., Biological Sciences
Hometown: Tabriz, Iran
Plans: M.S., Applied Molecular Biology at UMBC, followed by dental school

“I knew that if I came to UMBC I wouldn’t be alone, I would join a community of international students.”

As a child in Iran, Nastaran Azar ’22, biological science, was afraid when she saw her grandmother take out her dentures, but her brother’s explanation of what had happened to her grandmother’s original teeth gave Azar a life goal. “Teeth play a really important role in our lives,” she says. She plans to help others take care of theirs when she eventually becomes a dentist. 

Before dental school, however, Azar had to get an education in biology. She came to UMBC from Iran, knowing that UMBC has a community of diverse students that would help her feel welcome. She would go on to extend that welcome to others through UMBC’s Global Ambassadors program.

Beyond enjoying the chance to meet students from all over the world, she was amazed at some of the differences in her academic experience as a student in the U.S. rather than Iran. These differences ranged from more frequent quizzes rather than high-stakes exams to the lab’s abundance of pipettes. “I really enjoyed that we have access to all of the technology and supplies,” says Azar. 

She sees her decision to go abroad for college as one of the best choices she has made. “You get a chance to learn much more” when you are in a new environment with all different kinds of people, she says.

Story written by Karen Stysley