Hillary Ehlen
THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
BY Dr. Corina Todoran
MEET
corina
A Multicultural Learner and Educator Esteemed Readers: Someone once told me that if you want to be successful and achieve great things in life, you have to surround yourself with achievers and successful people. This month I am introducing to you Dr. Corina Todoran, who came to NDSU by way of Romania. For those that know the long journey that graduate school can be, Corina has managed to surf through these academic years, juggling numerous roles on campus. I know that I wouldn’t have been as involved on and off campus, had I not seen Corina do it while getting her PhD. I kept on repeating to myself that if Corina could do it I should at least try to emulate her level of engagement. Visualization is an essential step in achieving monumental goals of life and this is why I feel honored and privileged to have crossed the path of Corina during the 2016 NDSU homecoming parade that I met her at. I was just embarking on my 56 | OCTOBER 2018 | FARGOMONTHLY.COM
graduate school journey and she proved to be a great example to me. She is the crossroad of world diplomacy, academic excellence, servant leadership and global citizenship…all in one person. She is a globe trotter and to those of us who cannot travel as frequently as she does, she makes those of us fortunate enough to call her friend feel a part of her travel via her numerous stories and pictures from these voyages. Between conferences for her multicultural education PhD research work to traveling for leisure, she provides a lot of this! Romania is fortunate to have her represent its rich culture, NDSU is fortunate to count her as a proud alumna and I really hope that an employer in the Fargo/Moorhead area will recruit her and keep her here. She really helps make the world feel like a smaller and more understanding place! Cheers! -Alex Cyusa
Why did you come to Fargo?
As a teenager and young adult, I have always been passionate about learning and traveling. I studied foreign languages while in high school and have visited a number of European countries. I always thought about the U.S. as one of the most fascinating countries and dreamed to have a chance to see it. So, after I finished my Master’s back in Romania I applied for a Ph.D. degree at NDSU and started this exciting journey. I came to Fargo in 2013 to start my doctoral degree in the NDSU School of Education. I recently graduated and it’s bittersweet to leave the campus because I have really enjoyed my time as part of this community.
What's it like looking like the majority population, yet feeling like an outsider?
Even before coming to Fargo I was told that winters are cold and long, and after my arrival I kept hearing people talking about this as the dominant feature of the FM area. Now I understand why I was warned about Fargo winters, and even though I must admit I still don’t like living in a cold place, I discovered many other positives that enhanced my stay in this
