Esra Zeynep Sensoy, Construction Management student

Imagine traveling to another country to live for one year, immersing yourself in another culture and experiencing the ins and outs of daily life.

Esra Zeynep Sensoy of Istanbul, Turkey, is doing just that. Like other international students at NCC, Sensoy traveled over 5,000 miles from home in June of 2011 for her first experience as an American student. Since her arrival and through her mentor family and professors, she has become involved in student-led organizations and has gotten a taste of what life is like in some of the largest and most historic cities in the U.S.

"I try to keep my grades up, I try to join more activities, and I try to improve my English," explains Sensoy, who is studying construction management. "When I came here, I had never been outside of my own country. I wanted to have an education outside [of my country] because you gain a different perspective from it."

So far, the experience has introduced Sensoy to unlimited one-on-one consultation with her academic instructors (she's used to having a middle man), free museums (entry to some museums costs money in Turkey), a second family (her mentor family has helped her overcome missing her family back home), and life as a curious traveler (international students have visited New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Harrisburg, Gettysburg, and Hershey, among other cities).

"Being in New York for just a couple of days wasn't enough, and Washington D.C. is amazing!" Sensoy says animatedly. "When I was waiting to hear back about what school I was coming to, I looked up skyscrapers and traffic solutions, and I knew that I wanted to be here, near New York City. With every trip we take, I try to discover something new about my program major, and also about life."

Sensoy hopes that through the curriculum in the construction management program, she'll be able to acquire an internship that will present her with a better opportunity to understand the professional characteristics of civil engineering. Sensoy would like to one day put these skills to use back in her native country, where she can use them to promote opportunities for females in the workforce.

"I want women to have the opportunity to learn what I'm learning," says Sensoy. "I want to open a center in Turkey to teach and share my experiences with them. Usually in this major, there are two sides to the job: inside and outside of the office. Many prefer to be in office, and I think there are a lot of opportunities with this type of career, especially for females."

Sensoy was the first of the children in her family to seek an education in the U.S., though she has a sister who is currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Penn State University. The sisters keep in touch with their family back home via the Internet, where Sensoy says they share news of what they each have going on in Pennsylvania.

"My family is proud of me...I have a good family. If I want to do something, they believe me, they trust me, and support me," Sensoy acknowledges. "Especially with my education, they knew that I wanted to go [to the U.S.], and they supported that. NCC is like my family here now, too. In my country, it's so important to be a family person. We don't just say that it's family; we say that it's a full family. I have that there, and here."