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FEATURE STORY |
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Students Who Reach For Opportunities Are Fulfilling The Campus Agenda By Mary Alice Rocks
It calls for the College to provide a “liberating” education and for each student to experience other cultures and learning environments. (See sidebar on page 11.) In this article we profile a student who already has taken advantage of the many opportunities the College offered her, and in the process she enhanced her experience, her resumé and her life. Here is Elizabeth Caraballo — she’s leading the charge to fulfill the campus agenda. It has been two months since junior Elizabeth Caraballo, an international business major, returned from a co-op placement in Germany, and – characteristically – she still is learning from the experience. “I’m reading this book now, Germany: Unraveling an Enigma, by Greg Nees, and it’s fascinating! It explains so much about why things are the way they are there.”
Susan Eisner, associate professor of management in the School of Administration and Business, describes Elizabeth as “articulate, self-possessed, responsible, bright, and mature.” But Professor Eisner goes a step further in talking about the intellectual curiosity that characterizes Elizabeth as a student. “We talk about good students being teachable, but Elizabeth is not just teachable; she’s ‘learnable.’ She’s an active, engaged participant in her own learning process. She asks critical thinking questions that provide new insights into the application of the material being studied.” Elizabeth’s tendency to take responsibility for her own learning experience stood her in good stead in Germany, where her international co-op experience started out differently than anticipated. “The first month was extremely difficult,” says Elizabeth of her four-month stint in Meitingen, a city in southern Germany (Bavaria) located approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Munich. Her luggage was lost for three weeks, she knew no one, and the dialect spoken in Bavaria was different from the basic German Elizabeth had learned at Ramapo. One of the ways Elizabeth adapted to the situation was through writing about it. She spent hours keeping a journal in which she reflected on her thoughts and experiences. Re-reading the journal later was an eye-opening experience for her: “I could see how much I was changing in my outlook on the world.” Elizabeth also made the most of the opportunity to see Europe while working abroad. “Every weekend in October I traveled; I went to Rome and Barcelona, Austria and Switzerland.” As a marketing assistant at SGL Carbon, the world’s largest carbon graphite manufacturer, Elizabeth developed and implemented a market survey for one of the company’s new products. SGL Carbon needed to predict market share for the product. Elizabeth called potential customers in Spain, the UK, and the US to question them about their needs. Elizabeth is fluent in Spanish as well as English, making her a real asset to the company and the project team. Donna Kauder, who coordinates International Cooperative Education at Ramapo, was impressed by Elizabeth’s ability to adapt to a workplace that was initially daunting. “Elizabeth Caraballo is an amazingly courageous young woman,” Kauder says. “She enjoys a challenge, is determined, independent, creative, intelligent and most importantly, thinks globally.” While the ability to think globally certainly has been nurtured and rewarded at Ramapo, the capacity had its start early on in her family life. Born in New York to Dominican parents, Elizabeth lived in the Dominican Republic between the ages of seven and 11, solidifying her Spanish language fluency. When the Caraballos returned to the US they moved to Weehawken, NJ, where Elizabeth graduated from high school, and where her parents continue to live with Elizabeth’s two younger brothers, ages 16 and seven. Her father, a retired chef, and her mother, a homemaker, have always stressed hard work and the importance of study. However, Elizabeth’s ambitions go well beyond her family’s expectations. “When I told them about the co-op in Germany, at first they thought I was crazy.”
“I would not hesitate to do it again,” Elizabeth says of her work experience in Germany, and in fact she is already planning her next international co-op expedition – this time to Argentina – for the three months following her May 2001 graduation. Elizabeth plans to go to graduate school after earning her bachelor’s degree, but has not yet decided on a discipline. Several areas appeal to her, including business and law. One thing she is sure of, whatever career she pursues: “Satisfaction in your work is the most important thing.” Along with her strong interest in business, Elizabeth also is drawn to work that involves helping others. “I like helping people,” Elizabeth says. “I don’t forget where I come from, and the many people who helped me to do the things I’ve done.” Elizabeth originally came to Ramapo with the support of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program, which covered the expenses of her first year. She served as the civic education coordinator the summer after her freshman year, helping organize activities for incoming EOF freshmen at the College. Richard Morales-Wright, director of the EOF Program, calls her “one of our shining stars. Our EOF staff members are very proud of what Elizabeth has been able to accomplish. She excels in the classroom, demonstrates strong leadership qualities, and pursues her goals with unwavering passion.” Elizabeth has served as a student ambassador for the Admissions Office, leading campus tours for prospective students. She served as a peer counselor in her sophomore year and as a resident advisor. Another way Elizabeth has involved herself in the Ramapo community is through an internship with the College’s Alumni Office. Says Robin Endicott, director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, “It has been a real pleasure working with Elizabeth. She is responsible, dependable and mature. She has a solid plan of action for her education and career, one that I believe she will achieve by not letting things get in her way. She worked hard to get her international internship in Germany and didn't get discouraged when things fell apart at first.” Some of the same characteristics that have served Elizabeth so well in her academic and work experiences are also what make her, in the words of Professor Maria Vail Guevara, “a great actress.” Professor Guevara, who has directed Elizabeth in three student theater productions, calls her “exceptionally bright, as well as bold – she’s not afraid to try anything.” Guevera, who has taken note of Elizabeth’s strong sense of commitment to the community, has run into Elizabeth at the kind of campus events not every student attends, such as President Scott’s recent State of the College address. “She doesn’t go to impress anyone,” says Guevara, “but because she’s curious. She’s awake and aware of the world around her.” This awareness and curiosity about the larger world is not easily satisfied; Elizabeth seems to be continually processing her experiences in order to draw out the life lessons within. It’s no surprise that she has been reading up on German history in order to help make sense of her co-op experience last fall, and the idea that this history has shaped the German psyche is a notion that rings true to her. Pausing to reflect on her reading about Germany, Elizabeth can’t seem to help but extract the larger lesson: “You know, it’s how you react to things that matters.” |
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October 1999 saw the completion of the Ramapo Campus Agenda, setting forth goals for the College and college community. The document took many months to create and covers everything from student life to capital projects to community outreach. Front and center in the Ramapo Campus Agenda are academic goals. Far from a dusty treatise, the document outlines a dynamic and exciting future for the College and its students.