Getting To Know You

North Lake College is home to a myriad of culturally diverse students from all ends of the earth. However, these students have an unseen plight; many of them can only work on-campus. The solution: NLC faculty and staff are prepared to assist them in every way possible.

Alexandra Bohorquez, an international student from Bogota, Colombia, can only legally work under her student status. She traveled to the U.S. in August 2002 and eventually ended up at NLC to study Web development.

Aside from her class schedule, she is also the department assistant working under Patricia Corbett, senior administrative assistant to the president of the college.

Bohorquez described the job as being very demanding while at the same time rewarding. She is in charge of a plethora of tasks, from clerical work, data entry, to reception and translation services. But, she contended that “each day is different. I always have new projects.”

The rewarding part, she said, is when she is assigned to process and prepare the service excellence awards given to NLC staffers for outstanding performance of their duties.

“I'm so happy to be a part of that because I can see how people excel in their jobs at North Lake,” said the energetic Bohorquez.

Her attitude is conveyed best by her boss, Patricia Corbett, who said that she is “Charming and full of energy ... a delight to have here.”

Corbett, who is a staunch supporter of the international student worker program, has worked at NLC for 24 years and has hired many foreign students before.

“Many of the offices on campus understand that international students can only work on campus,” she said.

Besides the obvious mutually beneficial employee/employer relationship, Corbett explains the other advantages to working with international students.

“Not only do they learn something about the culture of work in this country, I also learn how our cultures differ in work ethics and societal behaviors,” she said.

“Together we learn new things and a new understanding of old things,” Corbett said in summation.

Bohorquez came across the job through word-of-mouth, and with help from the career center in A-305. Mohammed Shoeb, career services administrative clerk, advises potential applicants to make sure that they have their “I-20” forms in order.

The I-20 form is an international student's proof that he or she is a legal student. This form must be current along with all of the other documents and identification required of non-U.S. citizens.

Shoeb, a 25-year-old native of India, added that applicants should be ready “for more paperwork, after they get hired.”

“I went to the Career Service Center first,” said Bohorquez. “They subscribe you to a mailing list, an email service that gives information about job opportunities.”

The database tells potential employees what positions are open, pay rates, prerequisites and a brief description of the job.

Also, foreign students are strongly encouraged to seek help at the International Center, A-418. The staff will clarify any questions pertaining to laws and policies for non-citizen, on-campus workers. international students may even be able to find a job there.

“I hired two international students last week,” said Brenda Burwell, executive secretary to the director's assistant. One of her duties as ES1 is to hire new employees for clerical and reception positions in the International Center office.

The Human Resources department screens the documentation of would-be clerks and then they are interviewed by Burwell before she makes a decision. However, there are no openings available at this time in the International Center.