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| hope college > admissions > international students |
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What Students Say Banu Demiralp  Banu
Demiralp loves people. "I love being one-on-one with someone, really getting
to know them," she explains. "People are very important to me. That's one
of the best things about studying in America - the people I'm meeting that
I never would have."Hailing from the cosmopolitan Turkish city of Istanbul, a major metropolis of more than 15 million people, adjusting to the American Midwest has been an interesting process for Banu. She attended an American high school in Istanbul where most classes were taught in English, and had traveled the American East Coast before arriving at Hope two years ago. But Banu is always ready to expand her horizons. "I'm a city girl," she laughs. "And so with Holland, I like being exposed to something so different." Banu will be getting a taste of metropolitan life again this year, when she spends her spring semester as part of Hope's Washington, D.C., semester. The history and political science composite major is looking forward to having an internship in the nation's capital "I just figure that while I'm here in America, I might as well spend my time in the place where it all happens," she says. Banu credits her political science professors with motivating her to apply for the program. She feels that the experience she'll gain will help with her future plans, which may include journalism or public relations for a non-profit organization. Banu knows that through her career, she wants to be involved with people in a personal way. As for now, Banu's part-time job at the DePree Art Center has been a great way to get to know other students. "I love art; I appreciate art of all kinds," she explains. "Working in DePree lets me be in touch with art at Hope." Through working in the department, Banu has met "some incredibly cool student artists." In addition to her job, Banu participates in the International Relations Club, which provides a community for international students and promotes multiculturalism at Hope. "I just want to contribute something to Hope's diversity," Banu says. Banu feels she's found the key to getting the most out of her college experience - an open mind. "I'm so glad to be living in this different environment and meeting such wonderful people," she declares. "But especially for a minority student, it takes a really open, liberated mind to come to college. You have to be willing to listen to other ideologies and values and beliefs; you can't let them be a barrier to your experience." |
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