Andreas Ditlevsen, Marketing student

International student Andreas Ditlevsen is more than 4,000 miles from home and is enrolled in an educational system that very much differs from the one in his native Denmark. Ditlevsen, however, has fit right into the NCC community since his arrival in January, and is currently studying marketing for a second semester thanks to a cultural exchange program NCC has with Roskilde Business College near Denmark's capital city of Copenhagen.

"The program was set up when [Professor of English] Julie Houston brought NCC students to visit my school. [Associate Professor of Psychology] Cyd Skinner's son stayed at my house during that trip," explains Ditlevsen, who is being hosted by the Skinner family during his time here and is attending courses at both the Bethlehem and Monroe campuses.

As is customary in Denmark for high school graduates, Ditlevsen took a gap year prior to entering college. His plan was to work full time, but the several part-time jobs that he held didn't meet his anticipated 40 hours a week. Ditlevesen knew then that opportunity wasn't just going to come knocking at his door; he was going to have to create it for himself.

"I was so done with school that I got bored with it," he admits. "This [marketing] diploma program wasn't what I expected to study, but I realized that if you're smart about your education, the opportunity will come."

Ditlevsen has since embraced all aspects of the marketing program at NCC, including the opportunity to participate an International Business Firm workshop at Martin Guitar Company. The experience included a chance to speak with the marketing director, who impressed Ditlevsen with her genuine interest in what the students had to say. It has been one of the highlights of his academic journey so far.

"My first impression of being here was, 'Whoa, this is America!' and then I was tired for the first few weeks that I was over here," Ditlevsen laughs. "Campuses here are not like where I come from. There are not as many students at each school in Denmark. But NCC has been a good experience. I'm finding how even my elective courses, like psychology or investments, can be applied to marketing."

What's one thing that Ditlevsen hopes to accomplish before he heads back across the ocean at the end of the year? The experienced traveler - who has visited much of the East Coast, parts of the Midwest and even Canada - would like to see California. But as far as his studies beyond NCC are concerned, Ditlevsen now has a game plan.

"I'm planning to stick with my program when I go back," he reveals. "They'll recognize the credits I earned here, and I can get my bachelor's degree. Maybe I'll come back to work in the U.S. one day."