A New Adventure Just Started

            Inspired by one of her best friends, she fell in love with communications. Majoring in this area of study became one of her biggest dreams, even when living in a country where communication is the third lowest paid career. Currently, she started her four-year studies at the University of the Ozarks, in Clarksville, Arkansas thanks to the Walton International Scholarship Program. Her name is Berenice Osorio, and her journey through this new experience already changed her life. 

            Berenice was born in Mexico City, 18 years ago. She lived in Santa Isabel, Tola with her parents as an only child. She used to spend most of her weekends hanging out with her friends, and at church with her family. They even had a tradition to go to a Presbyterian Service every Sunday, after her mother cooked breakfast early in the morning. Also at church, Osorio used to meet with her uncle, and after service, they spent the whole day together. Leaving behind this environment was not easy for Berenice, and she confessed that her friends and family are what she misses the most. Nonetheless, when coming to Ozarks, she found a new family that has supported her since the first moment they met. 

            Berenice´s initial plan was to arrive at the Little Rock Airport with the rest of her Walton Class, on August, 18^th. However, due to a flight delay, she did not arrive until the next day, late at night. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of her new family to meet her was not diminished; they even stayed up until she arrived. Before coming to the United States, they began to communicate through Facebook, but Osorio was nervous because meeting the other Walton Scholars face-to-face is described by her as a really different experience, than just doing it through a screen. By communicating with the other Walton Students beforehand, Berenice was able to find out that she was not going to be alone in the communication department because another Walton Scholar from her class decided to major in this field. Osorio´s passion for communications, however, began before she came to Ozarks. 

            Berenice discovered her love for RTV five or six years ago, when one of her teachers, as part of the program “Aprender a Aprender” (Learning to Learn), encouraged students to do introspection to discover what they would like to do after high school. By that time, Osorio was amazed by the Oscars and special live productions, what drove her to learn more about it. During this period, she met her best friend, who is currently studying cinematography, and who also motivated Berenice to follow her new passion, by teaching her about the work that needs to be done behind the scenes during a live production. In addition, she was attracted by this “world” because Berenice realized that her country does not produce good shows for households, whose main entertainment is to watch TV. For which, after her four years at Ozarks, she wants to go back to Mexico and produce better television shows. She also would be capable to work on radio, something familiar to her thanks to the experience that she got from her high school which made her even more passionate for RTV.

            “[In my high school,] they were looking for people that wanted to work there, at the radio station, and at first, I was not so into the idea,” said Berenice. By that time, she was involved in some other extracurricular activities, so she was not sure to have enough time to be actively involved. However, later on a friend of hers had an idea for a show, but was not sure of how to present it to the radio producers. Osorio helped her friend during the first episode of the show, but she ended up assuming the production of it for the rest of the year. Even though Berenice was certain that she wanted to pursue a career in communications, ever since she started to learn more about RTV, getting quality education in this area is a difficult task to complete in her home country. 

            In Mexico there are only two colleges where people can major in communications. In the public one, the concentrations that they offered are limited, and not oriented to a specific communication environment, as radio or TV. In the private one they do focus on both of those, but the tuition is really expensive. In addition, colleges in Mexico have the required equipment to prepare communication majors. Nonetheless, is not easy to access it, as it is here at Ozarks, so people have to buy their own gear, which increases the education fees. For these reasons, and also because a student that graduates from the United States has more opportunities to find a good job in Latin America, Berenice made the decision to study abroad. 

            Even though she had the opportunity to take summer school classes in Canada when she was 15 years old, starting college and moving to another country for four years, where people and culture are different from Berenice´s, has now been a challenge for her. She recognizes that not all changes are negative because she has witnessed remarkable characteristics of the American Culture that have impressed her, such as the priority that pedestrians receive when crossing the street or even the close relationship that students and teachers have. However, the biggest difference that she has found so far, is that many college students, here at the United States, live on campus, something not usual back in her home country, where they go to classes, and then go back home. 

            With only one week of classes, Berenice has already decided what her goals are going to be for the next four years. She is thinking about double majoring, and being an active member of KUOZ, the university TV station. She wants to get involve not only because Osorio wants to gain experience and learn some new things; but also “because it is fun, and all the people back there are crazy, and that’s cool because I don´t consider myself very normal,” as Berenice joked.  

            Along with the support from her generation, upperclassmen, and her roommate, Berenice is sure that she is going to take advantage, as much as she cans, of the resources that this new adventure, possible thanks to the Walton International Scholarship Program, is giving to her. By doing so, she wants to become an RTV professional that later on, will be able to return to her home country, and improve the quality of what she loves: the communication field.