Maria Andrea Espinosa Vega
Connect locally: A biomedical engineering student from the University of Guadalajara spends a semester at VCU.
When University of Guadalajara student Maria Espinosa Vega decided she was ready to experience more independence, practice her English and learn firsthand about another culture, she looked at her options for spending a semester at a U.S. university.
The VCU School of Engineering fit the bill with a biomedical engineering program similar in structure and course work to UdeG, a VCU international partnership university. The active research profile of the faculty on the Monroe Park Campus and at the VCU Medical Center, as well as the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, also appealed to Vega.
In spring 2010, she took four engineering courses at VCU, including one in tissue engineering — a subject not offered at UdeG. She found teaching methods at VCU surprisingly similar to UdeG.
“The professors here monitor your progress,” she said. “They really care about your attendance.”
Vega had studied English since middle school, but studying at VCU served as her first immersion experience.
“I had a good level in reading and listening, but I don’t think I was so good in speaking, so just the practice helped me a lot,” she said.
Vega lived on campus in Gladding Residence Center with other international students from Croatia, Spain, Korea and England. When not in class, Vega enjoyed visiting Richmond sites such as Belle Isle, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the State Capitol and Maymont Park.
She particularly enjoyed events involving VCU students from all walks of life, such as the university’s annual Intercultural Festival.
“What struck me most was the cultural diversity at VCU,” Vega said. “You can find people from all around the world and talk to them about their cultures.”
