How has the IELP help you to improve your English?

It has not only helped me to improve my English, it also gave me an opportunity to meet various other people. Especially the teachers - they are very open-minded. I recently was with one of my teachers in their hometown. They showed us their community gardens.

What’s your favorite meal from your home country and how is it made?

It has to be one of my mom’s meals, chicken and rice. There’s a lot of ways you can cook it. It’s basically like steamed rice and fried chicken, but it doesn’t have the same kind of coating that you would find on American fried chicken.

Do you have a favorite American food?

It has to be hoagies. I’ve been trying a few hoagies around the city and everybody has their own style. Now, cheesesteaks - you have to stay away from too many. It’s a major problem!

Where do you see yourself after you finish at the IELP? What do you want to do next?

I was recently accepted into the Tyler School of Art at Temple. I’m going to be doing graphic design.

What advice would you give to other students coming to study in the U.S.?

In the beginning, people will feel overwhelmed by the culture and the language, but I want to tell them that it takes some time to break that barrier. It’s not always studying, and eventually there will be some time for yourself to walk around campus and meet other people who are interested in your major. You need to have a lot of patience. Not everything comes immediately. Go outside, discover the city.