Peruvian students visit KCC

Three Peruvian university students spent two weeks on the Klamath Community College campus in late September to get a sense of college life in America.
They are part of a larger plan to bring more international students to campus and have local students visit Peru as well.
The students’ visit is the second such connection with the Universidad Nacional de Barranca in Lima, Peru. In June, three Peruvian university officials visited KCC to assess if both schools could partner to build their student and faculty exchange programs.
While the students were only in Klamath Falls for two weeks, they were treated to a whirlwind tour of southern Oregon, several classes on campus, and were guests in local homes.

Miguel Cancino Santiago, 26, Guadalupe Sayritupac Berrocal, and Bessie Lopez Idme, both 20, experienced local tourist destinations such as Crater Lake National Park , the Lava Beds National Monument, Running Y Ranch Resort and local eateries.
They also attended several classes in business, accounting, health care and computer science.
“I really liked the Lava Beds,” said Berrocal, who is studying to practice obstetrics at the university. The students descended into underground lava tubes and explored the caves at the site.
Crater Lake National Park was a favorite, too, as there are no mountain ranges near Lima in Peru. The group also visited Ferguson Elementary School and spoke about their home country to fourth-graders.
“It is hoped that this is the beginning of a much greater exchange program,” KCC’s Tessa Gutierrez, director of Global Languages and Learning program, said.
Dr. Fred Griffiths, coordinator for Global Languages, arranged the trips the students took across the state.
Santiago, who is studying to become a mechanical engineer, said the goals of his visit was to absorb as much of the U.S. culture as possible.
“I was fascinated by all the different building materials the United States uses, from various woods to steel and concrete,” he said.

The early hours of the classes were a surprise to the students, Berrocal, said. In Peru, university classes start at noon and run until 9 in the evening. Peru time is two hours earlier than Oregon.
“Getting up for classes at 8 a.m. was hard,” Berrocal laughed. Her host family cooked a lot of Mexican food, which she said she loved.
Idme is studying accounting.
“This experience has improved my English, which is important to anyone’s career,” she said.
When the students return to the university in Lima, they will present their impressions of the trip to the rest of the school.
“I will share the other perspective of being in America, its culture and opportunities on can get to study at KCC. Speaking English will open many doors,” Miguel said. “Traveling to other countries is a good tool to get to know more people and share experiences.”
The students also visited Oregon Institute of Technology, the University of Oregon in Eugene and the High Desert Museum outside of Bend.

Gutierrez, a native of Peru, hosted three Peruvian university officials to Klamath Falls last June. The Universidad Nacional de Barranca, is a publicly funded school with about 2,000 students and 157 faculty and a campus similar in size to KCC.
KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez said there is good potential for the schools to launch a small exchange program and grow it if it turns out to be a success.
“It would be good as a test to see if this will work for both parties,” Dr. Gutierrez said. “Who knows, it may blossom from there.”