Name: Jorge Miranda
Age: 23
High School: Attended in Bolivia
Degree: Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies
Year of Graduation: 2008
Employment: Worksfor an NGO based in Togo (Africa)
Interview published in March 2009.
In 2003, Jorge Miranda, from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, began studying International Relations at NUR University in his hometown. In 2004, seeking new horizons, he decided to continue his studies at ORT University.
Jorge was determined to pursue a graduate degree at a university abroad. To achieve his goals, he researched universities that, as he understood it, would present him with intellectual challenges. “For me, it meant seeking new personal and professional challenges.”
“I started browsing the web looking for universities in Latin America and gradually began to lean toward Uruguay. That’s how I found ORT and saw that it offered a degree in International Studies.” From the very beginning, Jorge had “very good communication” with the admissions office; “they immediately sent me all the information I requested.”
In 2004, he visited Uruguay to get to know the country and “weigh the pros and cons of studying abroad, not only from an academic standpoint but also in terms of personal experiences.” Learning to live in a city different from his own, “with different cultural norms and a different pace of life,” was what ultimately convinced Jorge.
He recalls his first day of class with great fondness because “it was quite an anecdote.” “During the first class, I spoke up several times in the first hour, and after my last comment, a classmate said, ‘That was like CNN en Español’; he was referring to my accent. We laughed, and from that moment on, we broke the ice.”
I was lucky enough to start college with a group of extraordinary people. Not only did all these friends make my time in Uruguay more enjoyable, but I know these are friendships I’ll cherish for years to come.
Jorge found both differences and similarities between ORT University and the university he had previously attended. “It was very easy to adapt to the required courses because they’re very similar to what I was used to. It was difficult during the first semester to understand that these courses were necessary to pass the program and that the final exam was what determined whether I passed,” he recalled.
Starting in his third year of the program, he completed several internships. First, through the Graduate Coordination Office, he joined Mexico’s commercial mission to the international organization ALADI (science policy section). He then worked in the Science Programme at UNESCO’s Regional Office for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In September 2008, he began a three-month remote internship with the U.S.-based NGO Enterprise Works/Vita, which is carrying out a project in Africa to build tanks that collect rainwater. “These were very valuable experiences because both jobs provided me with important knowledge for my professional life.”
Starting in 2007, he focused on his final thesis for his degree. “I looked for a topic that would allow me to expand on the knowledge I’d gained in class.” He chose Africa (“Institutional Strengthening of the State and Development in Ghana”) with the idea that the broader his knowledge, the greater his professional opportunities would be.
He highlighted the relationship he had with his professors. “I felt that if I sought out a professor, I would have the opportunity to interact with them. In other countries, it’s very difficult to find recognized professionals who are teaching at the university level. Even for my thesis—and although there are no African studies specialists in Uruguay—my thesis committee included the former Minister of Economy, Luis Mosca, and the former Uruguayan Representative to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Felipe Paolillo.”
Jorge presented his thesis in September 2008 and passed with a score of 90/100. “I felt very fulfilled and capable when I defended it. I believe that at the university you learn to think like a professional.”
In January of this year, after graduating, he traveled to Togo (Africa) to work for an NGO focused on agricultural development and health. Jorge plans to pursue a graduate degree (which he hasn’t decided on yet) at a university in the United States or Europe.
He says he feels at “home” in Uruguay. “I’m leaving behind many people I love, which motivates me to return, at least to say hello; but I’m eager to see the world and intend to keep traveling.”