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Graduate Assistant: Simona Cibotaruscibotaru@park.edu
Simona has been with the Office of International Affairs and Education since 2004, when she started as a work study student. Her job then was to assist with the organization and logistics of study abroad trips. These days, her responsibilities around the office are many, including the coordination of community outreach programs such as Coming to America and the International Classroom Partnership Program. One of her most important goals is to foster cultural interaction between American and international students, enabling them to accentuate their similarities and learn from their differences. Simona speaks Romanian, Russian, French, English, and what she describes as "a little bit" of Portuguese and Spanish. She has travelled to many countries including Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Brazil, Bulgaria, France, and Germany. She says travelling, and meeting students at Park who come from every corner of the globe has helped her to connect the dots between culture, history, and communication. "Being exposed to diversity has helped me to develop," she says. "I have learned so much from spending time with people from different cultures, especially in the classroom. It makes for discussions that are so much richer, and it opens your eyes to ideas and perspectives you've never thought of before. It gives you a 360 degree view, and it's amazing to see the world from so many different ways." --------------------------------- University Resources |
Simona, originally from the Republic of Moldova, is a graduate student pursuing an M.P.A in Public Affairs with an emphasis in Business Government Relations. Her undergraduate degree is in Political Science, International Business, and Finance, with minors in Economics and Mathematics. She has been elected for a period of 3 years to the International Board of Trustees for People to People International (PTPI) and is a past president of the Model United Nations program and PTPI chapter at Park University. When she is not busy working or studying, she tries to get involved in community projects, and occasionally finds time for playing the piano, reading, learning new languages, or meeting getting to know people from different cultures.