Martin had his choice of many schools in the U.S., but wanted to find a place that was mid-sized and had a friendly campus where he could learn about the field of information technology.

“I was looking for not-too-big schools and not-too-small schools. It’s a good community. Everyone’s so nice. We have one-to-one approachable professors. That’s a really good thing.”

In his spare time, Martin enjoys working with youngsters, and one of his professors helped him become a youth soccer coach at a local recreation program. He hopes to combine his technology training and his minor in writing to help the children in his native Nigeria.

“Back home, Nigeria is still growing and that means there’s going to be a lot of need for technology and science and computers. So I decided I would go into that. With a degree from here it helps a lot, because it’s seen as higher than a degree back home. And with that, jobs are looking for you rather than looking for jobs.”

“It’s something good to help my country grow -- not just doing things we have people doing already. I’ll do something different and help the region grow. I’d like to somehow combine writing and IT and still work with kids, and probably in the long run work with kids one-on-one.”

I decided to study in the United States because I could study for a degree and play competitive volleyball at the same time. I was not able to do this in my home country of Romania. I visited Georgia Southern and liked it immediately. The volleyball coach was great and offered me lots of help. She is more than just a coach, but a very nice woman and friend. Georgia Southern is a good school with lots of different students and all kinds of activities.

I’ve been very lucky at Georgia Southern and have met a lot of good people. My professors are very open and willing to help me. The classes at Georgia Southern are small and you get to know your teachers and interact with them. Most of my professors even came to the volleyball games and supported me!
The international center on campus sponsors all kinds of programs for international students to help make our lives easier. My international advisor is a very nice lady that keeps track of all my international needs from a legal point. She is always open and helps me when I need advice about different issues.

During volleyball season it is sometimes hard to have a social life because I am so busy, but spring and summer is more relaxed and I get to meet new people and experience new things. I usually hang out with my friends, watch a movie, go out to a club, go to the beach or just stay in and play games. Since Savannah is really close there are a lot of things you can do to have fun. Georgia Southern University is a great place!