My name is Luciana Medrano and I am an international student from Bolivia, currently doing my second year of Creative Writing at York St. John University. 

Being a writer and a reader in Bolivia, a third-world country, can be quite a challenge. In a place where memes are more appreciated than literature, authors and readers are often misplaced as outcasts, different from the rest. Writing and reading have been my passions since I was a little girl who dreamed of exploring fantasy realms and traveling to faraway lands, and to pursue a career in the literary world is my biggest dream.

As an international student, York St. John felt like the place where I could follow those dreams. I was able to visit York and the university for the first time in February of 2022, (on a Decision Day!), and the second I was there, something clicked. I absolutely fell in love with everything about the city and YSJ, plus the staff and students I met were so nice. The Creative Writing undergraduate course from the university has amazing benefits, such as small class size which allows students to create more meaningful connections with the professors and fellow classmates. I am eager to learn about all kinds of literature, the genres and how the publishing industry works. I want to be able to give back all the support I have received, to help people, and to inspire readers and future writers to follow their passions at a place like York St. John University.

I’ve always wanted to study my career abroad, and I fell in love with the UK when I visited London for the first time in 2017. Since then, I began doing my research of the country and learning a lot about it, but it wasn’t until 2020 when I really embraced the idea of studying my dream course, Creative Writing, in a country filled with so much culture, passion and love for the arts. When I first visited the UK it truly felt like a place where I could belong. And even though moving to a new continent alone can be overwhelming, I was eager to do it, as I wanted to seize the opportunity of fulfilling my passions and learn about a new culture, while also sharing mine. I look forward to the opportunity of getting my degree in a language that is not my first, so when I face the world as a professional, I can have the tools in both English and Spanish.

Now that I have been a student here for over two years, I have settled in and found routines and activities that help me fill my time while also enjoying being a university student. I spend a lot of my hours in quaint cafes, working on stories or catching up with friends, and also walking around the beautiful city that I get to live in. Last year I started working as a student ambassador, and I can say that it is a great job, because it allows you to be flexible with your hours whilst doing fun activities related to the university. As for clubs and societies, this year I joined volleyball, and like most sports clubs, besides being a fun way of exercising, it is also a great opportunity to meet new people.

My advice for any incoming students would be to stay curious and be open to all the new experiences that are going to come their way, and find a way of balancing academics, social life and self-care. Fear and homesickness is completely normal, and every new student is in the same boat, but it is essential to try not to let it get in the way of enjoying university!

 

 

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