EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES

Sophomore Julia Abreu Siufi finds challenge, contentment at BLC

BY AMBER MURRY • CLASS OF 2021

For Julia Abreu Siufi, "busyness" is a lifestyle, and she doesn't want it any other way. Despite being a sophomore at Bethany, Siufi is on track to graduate in May 2022 as a double major in legal studies and history. Whether her goal is academic or just for fun, Siufi commits everything she has towards achieving it. "I don't do something if I'm not going to do it well. That's the number one rule for my life," said Siufi.

She backs up her statement with a list of on-campus activities in areas such as Student Senate, Law Club, and the Mock Trial team as well as a job as a teaching assistant for two professors.

In March 2021, she was also elected as the Student Body President for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Siufi has also put her leadership skills to work as president of the Law Club and Captain of the Mock Trial team. These two activities in particular played a major role in her decision to come to Bethany in the first place.

Hailing from Campo Grande, a large city in South-central Brazil, Siufi is a member of Bethany's ever-growing population of international students. After learning about international study programs through her sister's experiences, Siufi's first introduction to Bethany was simply seeing its name as part of a list of possible schools. Because she already knew she wanted to go to law school someday, Siufi was quickly introduced to the benefits and possibilities of Bethany's legal studies major through International Student Recruiter Nick Cook and Sara Edwards, a professional lawyer and Bethany professor. "Two things made me come to Bethany. One was Professor Sara Edwards. She came to me and she was very open, very honest, and she told me about the strengths of the program. I just fell in love," said Siufi.

The other reason she chose Bethany was based on the level of communication that the admissions and study abroad offices displayed.

Working as part of the defense counsel in a recent Mock Trial event.

Photo Courtesy of BLC Mock Trial

"When you're an international student, it's a long process to get a Visa. You really can't wait until the last minute to decide which school you want to go to. The thing that stood out for me with Bethany is that I would send them emails and they would reply right away. It helped make the transition really easy, and all the information that I needed before I committed was very easily available."

Most international students arrive on campus around three weeks before classes start in order to provide some time to adjust before classes begin. In this time, they are able to explore campus, bond with other international students, and discover which classes they may need to take.

This year, the process was complicated by the COVID-19 virus, and organizers were unable to make it happen. Even so, Siufi feels that there is a silver lining to this particular cloud. She claims that international students have had an easier time meeting and bonding with American students rather than only other international students. "I know a lot of international students sometimes have a hard time finding friends who are Americans because there's a tendency to gather together with groups of other international students. It makes sense because you're all having this shared experience and bonding immediately. One of the things I've noticed this year though is that everybody is in the Viking Village and all interacting together, no matter where they're from," commented Siufi.

For Siufi, finding American friends was never a challenge. "I was living with American roommates, but I was able to create even deeper bonds through my activities. Whenever I had an issue where I didn't know how something worked, I wouldn't worry because I had both American and international friends to count on."

Throughout her time at Bethany, Siufi has come to value this friendly atmosphere a great deal and hopes to continue living in Minnesota even after she graduates. "Ever since I came here, I've felt welcome. Whenever I had questions, I could come up to people and ask them. I never felt that there was a barrier there. I think that's what makes a great atmosphere at Bethany. You can get an education anywhere. You can't get this feeling everywhere."

Julia volunteered at a Mankato Night to Unite event in 2019.

Photo by David Norris