Graduate Coilin Mac Namara left Ireland for Stetson to experience the US college tennis system. “I spoke to a lot of different universities and had a lot of different offers, but the coach here really made himself stand out from everyone else,” he says. The theme of support persisted as Namara leveraged the chance to grow academically as well.

“Every class here is personal,” he says. “The fact that teachers here really do work with you on a one-on-one basis, it shows that you’re not another number or student ID. What I have really loved about this school is that every professor understands when you need a little extra assistance. They take time out of their own schedule, outside of office hours, to show they are willing to help you in any way they can.”

Despite having always been passionate about history, Namara knew he wouldn’t be fully immersing himself in the Stetson experience unless he explored. Hence, his decision to pursue a general business degree.

After graduating, Namara was hired as an assistant tennis coach at Stetson. He is preparing to join the university’s Master of Accountancy programme as well.

ireland

Erika Kok’s passion for math motivated her to apply for a scholarship to Stetson. She was awarded the funding right after graduating high school. At the university, she opted to pursue a computer science qualification that would broaden her horizons to the ever-evolving world of tech.

What she didn’t expect was to be surrounded by inspiring educators keen on helping her apply knowledge in some of the most esteemed organisations in the world — whilst still a student.

“After my freshman year here, I did an internship with Facebook in Silicon Valley,” she says. “The summer after that, I was at Microsoft. Most recently, I completed an internship with JPMorgan Chase at their headquarters in New York.”

The Office of Career and Professional Development played a massive role in helping her land each internship, by refining her resume and guiding her through the application processes. Her professors played just as big of a role when Kok decided to apply for the Google Women Techmakers Scholarship — which she won as well.

Currently, Kok is back at JPMorgan Chase, but as a full-time senior associate product manager.

PHILIPPINES