Susana Iribarren

           I am a naturalized American citizen, born and raised in Venezuela, South America.  I immigrated to the United States in 1982, and have lived here ever since.  Throughout my life I have been involved in some unique activities, many of which have had to do in the areas of learning new languages and developing interpersonal relations with people from foreign countries.

As a child, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe, the Caribbean and the United States.  Therefore, at an early age, I developed a desired and curiosity of knowing different people and their culture.  For this reason, people, their attitudes and their effect on our changing world fascinates me.  However, it wasn’t until the fall of 1996, after working as a clerk in different companies, and getting no- where with dead end jobs, that I decided to pursue a formal education, in International Studies.  A field that embraces both; my curiosity and fascination with different cultures.

 In January of 1997, I applied and was accepted at the University of Tampa, where I completed the first two years of my education.  By the end of fall 1997, I received the Dean’s List Distinction award for having high GPA in two consecutive semesters.  Then, I transferred to the University of South Florida, where I completed my junior and senior years.  I received a Bachelors degree in International Studies in May of 2000. 

In addition to the above, I am a member of the National Honor Society of International Studies (Sigma Iota Rho), United Nations Tampa Bay Chapter, WIT

 Women in International Trade and TBIBC Tampa Bay International Business Council.   I am presently pursuing and MBA at NOVA Southeastern University to make my degree more marketable. I am very proud of my Hispanic heritage and my personal accomplishments.  I have learned throughout the years, that you can do anything if you put your heart and mind to it.   However, I must admit that my parents are both professional and have been a tremendous influence in my personal life as well as teaching me to place high educational and career goals as one of the most important decisions one can make.  Education in my household has been a big deal and since I was a child, my parents started discussing the possibility of attending College, even in a foreign country to learn not only a new language but a new culture as well.  I think that the commitment that I agreed with them, to achieve my education helped to keep myself always aiming to reach high opportunities.

       I would like to encourage every boy and girl of Hispanic and other ethnic descends to keep attending school.  We are living the age of globalization and our world and technology is changing by the day, therefore we have to keep studying and becoming educated and informed of everything happening around us, to be able to take advantage of the great opportunities that come along for people that graduate from College.  I believe, that only the people that achieve high education will be able to secure jobs in the future.

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