Seattle Colleges International Programs presents... Conversations with!
Seattle Colleges International Programs presents... Conversations with!
S3E50: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International/Domestic Student Danna Gamboa of Colombia
In this our fiftieth (50th) episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international/domestic student Danna Gamboa of Colombia about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States.
1:19 - Meet Danna!
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Evan Franulovich 0:05
Welcome to Seattle Colleges International Programs and our show 'Conversations with!', where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu.
Evan Franulovich 1:04
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with!' Today I'm here at South Seattle College. It's the first time I've made it out to south this season.
Danna Gamboa 1:18
I love South Seattle College. It's worth it.
Evan Franulovich 1:20
Really, why?
Danna Gamboa 1:21
I feel like the campus is so cozy. I have taken classes in central and north. So I kind of know the vibe. And I just feel like South is just so cozy. I love it.
Evan Franulovich 1:31
So you've been to all three campuses. Just so you listeners know they're not close to each other. So let me ask you this, where approximately do you live within the city?
Danna Gamboa 1:43
In Alki.
Evan Franulovich 1:44
Oh, okay. So you're out in this area.
Danna Gamboa 1:47
I am. Yes, correct.
Evan Franulovich 1:48
So when you went to North for classes, did you take public transportation? Or did you drive?
Danna Gamboa 1:53
I just drove.
Evan Franulovich 1:53
You just drove?
Danna Gamboa 1:54
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 1:54
Cool. Well, you can get a driver's license, get yourself a car, but you don't have to. I took the bus to get out here today from Central.
Danna Gamboa 2:04
Yeah, I was thinking, I mean, it's great, because then you have to find parking. And right now there this thing with the parking permit in Seattle Colleges. So if you are going to one and you want to go to the other one, you need to get a permit in every campus.
Evan Franulovich 2:17
I know that's...
Danna Gamboa 2:17
That's crazy.
Evan Franulovich 2:19
Crazy. I don't like to deal with parking, especially in downtown Seattle.
Danna Gamboa 2:27
It's horrible.
Evan Franulovich 2:28
Yeah, I mean, now here at South, there's tons of parking.
Danna Gamboa 2:31
Yes, it's so chill. You won't get a ticket at South. You will get a ticket at North, and you won't find parking at Central.
Evan Franulovich 2:38
Yeah, it's for sure. I mean, we have the garage.
Danna Gamboa 2:41
Yeah, but I just went for a specific class, so then I didn't buy the permit, because I was there for two hours two times a week. So I just pay outside.
Evan Franulovich 2:50
Well, let me back in because we can just start talking. You're great talker, so that's easy, right? But we really should find out who you are and where you're from. She's a little unique, because this is only my third guest who's actually a domestic student, considered a domestic student. She's not here on an F-1 visa, we're going to talk about that. But let's have you tell everybody who you are, where you from originally, and then maybe what you're studying, what your major is, and you know how long you've been here in the States.
Danna Gamboa 3:23
Yeah, so my name is Danna. I am from Colombia, from a small city in Colombia called Cucuta. And my major is chemical engineering.
Evan Franulovich 3:37
Oh.
Danna Gamboa 3:37
But this is my second bachelor's, because I already have a bachelor from Colombia in international business.
Evan Franulovich 3:43
Oh, great.
Danna Gamboa 3:44
Yeah, and I have been here for four years. I arrived here in 2021, right after covid.
Evan Franulovich 3:50
So why get a second bachelor's? Why not just work in international business?
Danna Gamboa 3:55
Well, because I am from a small city, and then we just have two universities at the time. I think we still have two. And they focus more on software engineering, business, accounting and a lot of technical two or three year degrees. And I really wanted to do chemistry since the beginning, but they did not have anything in science. So they didn't have math or physics or chemistry or anything like that. The only other thing that I could do was business. I'm like, 'Okay, let's do it.' And of course, at the moment, I was broke, so I didn't have money to go to another city to study. In the capital or in the big cities, they have more degrees available, but I wasn't able to go there. So I just finished though that five year degree.
Evan Franulovich 4:40
Why were you able to go there? Was it strictly financial?
Danna Gamboa 4:42
Yes, strictly financial.
Evan Franulovich 4:44
Because your grades, you could have applied to University of Bogota.
Danna Gamboa 4:48
Yeah, correct.
Evan Franulovich 4:49
Gotcha.
Danna Gamboa 4:49
Yes, but then I have to live there and work and it's expensive.
Evan Franulovich 4:53
Yeah, it is probably more expensive, for sure.
Danna Gamboa 4:56
Yes, and all my family is in the city, so I didn't have another family that was like, living in Medellin or Bogota or whatever, that I could go and leave or something. So I was like, whatever. I'm just gonna do this degree and then, and then I will do chemistry at some point. And then I'm like, 'Okay, I think this is time to do chemistry. So that's what I'm doing.
Evan Franulovich 5:18
You're here doing it because that's awesome.
Danna Gamboa 5:18
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 5:18
We had a girl from India who came as a high school completion student, and she was doing biochemistry.
Danna Gamboa 5:23
Oh, that's so cool.
Evan Franulovich 5:23
She's just transferred off.
Danna Gamboa 5:25
I love it.
Evan Franulovich 5:26
So Colombia is a pretty big country, so if you're not familiar with her town, can you kind of explain to which part of the country it's in? So you can go onto a map and find it.
Danna Gamboa 5:36
Yeah. So Colombia is a very special country because we are blessed, by the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. So we have the two oceans. We have a little bit of the Amazon there. A little bit of the Andes. So I am right above the Andes, and it's in the east of the country, and it's right in the border with Venezuela.
Evan Franulovich 5:36
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 5:58
It's a tough area, but it's beautiful, it's pretty, it's small, it's hot. We don't have seasons in Colombia because we are so close to the equator, so then my city is just hot all the time. And in Colombia you can find cities that are really cold or really hot, or the Amazon that is tropical. My city is not humid, it's just hot. It's like Phoenix, Arizona.
Evan Franulovich 5:58
It's kind of dry.
Danna Gamboa 6:02
Yeah, it's kind of dry here. It's a dry heat.
Evan Franulovich 6:19
Because when I was in Barranquilla, it was humid. Yeah, it was really warm.
Danna Gamboa 6:23
No, Cucuta is just hot and dry, I like it. So it's been rough for me to be here in Seattle, because it's so cool and it's so grey.
Evan Franulovich 6:31
Wait a minute, it's been a beautiful summer.
Danna Gamboa 6:35
It's grey right now.
Evan Franulovich 6:36
Well, today I'm actually thankful for the water today because I was a little worried about forest fires and stuff.
Danna Gamboa 6:42
That's true. These are good things. Yes, in Cucuta I'm just used to be in the high 80s, 90s, the whole year.
Evan Franulovich 6:47
Right.
Danna Gamboa 6:47
It has been a tough process.
Evan Franulovich 6:50
That would be tough.
Danna Gamboa 6:52
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 6:53
So why Seattle? Why did you come to Seattle?
Danna Gamboa 6:57
So when I came to United States four years ago, my English was really basic. I could say hello and goodbye, and I could listen and pretend that I understood and just say yes, but I actually didn't. So what I wanted was to come here and to be able to actually get a conversational level, so I could go to school. So then I came here as an Au Pair with an Au Pair program, which means that you live with a family for one or two years, and then I'm like, 'Okay, that's a perfect place. That's a perfect way for me to learn, because then I'm going to be immersed in the culture, and then I'm going to be obligated to speak in English the whole day.' But then I'm like, 'Okay, in United States, we have a huge Latin American population, especially in the South and in California.' So I'm like, 'I can go there, because otherwise I'm going to be speaking in Spanish. '
Evan Franulovich 7:42
Oh, so you did your Au Pair in California?
Danna Gamboa 7:42
No, I did it here in Seattle.
Evan Franulovich 7:45
Oh, yeah.
Danna Gamboa 7:46
So I was like, I need to go as North or as far as possible from all the Latin American communities so I can just really be obligated to speak in English.
Evan Franulovich 7:55
But don't you think, I mean, we have a pretty good sized Latin American community?
Danna Gamboa 7:59
Yeah, I feel well.
Evan Franulovich 8:00
I mean, it's not LA.
Danna Gamboa 8:01
Exactly, yes. Even when I travel to, for example, Chicago, they have a huge Latin American population too, and then they have a lot of restaurants, a lot of markets. But here in Seattle, we have like two restaurants, two Colombian restaurants, and they're like, not that good.
Evan Franulovich 8:17
What?!
Danna Gamboa 8:20
Confession here.
Evan Franulovich 8:21
Have you been to the Venezuelan restaurant right across the street at Central?
Danna Gamboa 8:24
Yeah, they have amazing Tequenos. They're good. But that's a Venezuelan restaurant, which is pretty much like the same as in Cucuta. It's interesting, because when you are from a country and then you immigrate to another country, you get these bicultural things growing up within yourself and your identity. So you have things from here and things from there, and then at some point, you are like, 'Oh my God, I am just like a new person. I am not from here, I am from there.' But I experienced that growing up in Cucuta because, because I have a lot of things from Colombia, but I have a lot of things from Venezuela, like words, food, everything. So then when I go to, for example, Bogota, the capital of Colombia people are like, 'Oh my God, you're Venezuelan.' because of the way I speak, because I love the way we eat everything, and we are so close, right? So I have experienced that growing up, so coming here was like, 'Oh yeah, it's just the same thing with countries.'
Evan Franulovich 9:10
Right. But you feel Colombian?
Danna Gamboa 9:18
Yeah, of course, totally 100%. I understand when people say that, I get it.
Evan Franulovich 9:24
So when Venezuela plays Colombia in a football match, who you rooting for?
Danna Gamboa 9:29
Colombia.
Evan Franulovich 9:29
Colombia, of course.
Danna Gamboa 9:31
But if I'm watching Miss Universe, and Colombia doesn't make it, I will go for Venezuela. They are great. There are some things, you know, we root for each other.
Evan Franulovich 9:40
That's good, yeah. It's friendly.
Danna Gamboa 9:41
Yeah, we're like siblings.
Evan Franulovich 9:43
Yeah, cool. Who has the better Spanish?
Danna Gamboa 9:47
Well, that depends. I feel like the Spanish that I like the most is actually the Spanish thats is spoken in the Caribbean, in Colombia, because it's so fun. It's just like a whole vibe like in Barranquilla.
Evan Franulovich 10:01
Sure, sure.
Danna Gamboa 10:03
I love it. Just like the accent, the words they use, they are so warm all the time, I love that. The spanish we speak in Cucuta, like in Colombia, is recognized by being more like harsh, and we speak really fast. But then people feel that we are just being mad all the time or something. And then we have the Spanish that they speak in Medellin that is more soft, more people love, and that is the Spanish that is recognized in the whole world by being a Colombian accent. We have actually so many accents.
Evan Franulovich 10:38
Because I've asked Spanish speakers from all over Latin America. Okay, tell me, who do you think has the most beautiful accent, and who do you think has the worst accent? And they almost always say Colombia has the beautiful accent. So that's really interesting. Who do you think has the worst accent?
Danna Gamboa 10:54
Um, that's a tough question, I will say...
Evan Franulovich 11:01
Or the least, pleasant to listen to.
Danna Gamboa 11:03
It's terrible. For example, I feel like, sorry for anyone that is watching...
Evan Franulovich 11:07
I'm setting her up for getting hate mail.
Danna Gamboa 11:09
Yeah, sorry. For example, Chile.
Evan Franulovich 11:13
Exactly. That's the answer I hear all the time, is Chile.
Danna Gamboa 11:17
It's hard.
Evan Franulovich 11:18
We love Chileans, but apparently your Spanish is rough. I think they might even admit it.
Danna Gamboa 11:25
Yes, because the words they use, 'What are you saying?' So it's hard, but I love Chile.
Evan Franulovich 11:32
We love Chilean wine, It's great.
Danna Gamboa 11:35
Well, yes, I will say Chile.
Evan Franulovich 11:37
Let's get back on track. So we're back here in the US here, you are here as an Au Pair. How many kids did you watch?
Danna Gamboa 11:47
Two.
Evan Franulovich 11:47
How old were they?
Danna Gamboa 11:49
In my mind, I was like, 'I need to learn English.' I didn't want to take care of babies or little kids. So my kids were nine and 12 at the time.
Evan Franulovich 11:50
It's perfect.
Danna Gamboa 11:51
It was perfect.
Evan Franulovich 11:57
They were in school most of the day.
Danna Gamboa 12:02
Exactly. I loved it.
Evan Franulovich 12:03
What did you do during the day then when they were in school?
Danna Gamboa 12:05
I just did laundry. I love to cook. I love going to the supermarket, buy things, just cook for a the whole family.
Evan Franulovich 12:05
Wonderful.
Danna Gamboa 12:07
I love that. I read a lot, because it was like, one of the things that I did, that I learned, that it helped me to learn a new language. I read like a lot, and then I try to buy the same books that I really like in Spanish, but the English version. And then I watch, like, some documentaries or movies and stuff. Sometimes, if I cool, I will babysit other kids, just because I have the time, and that's it. I did not study
Evan Franulovich 12:36
Do you still hang out with the family that you worked for?
Danna Gamboa 12:39
No with the family, but with one of the kids.
Evan Franulovich 12:41
Nice.
Danna Gamboa 12:42
Yes, that I connected the most.
Evan Franulovich 12:43
Because now they're older?
Danna Gamboa 12:44
They're older, exactly.
Evan Franulovich 12:46
High School?
Danna Gamboa 12:48
One is almost graduating high school.
Evan Franulovich 12:50
Oh, wow.
Danna Gamboa 12:51
Yes. And the one that I most connected with, he's finishing Middle School. So he's like, go to Kizuki. We love go to Kizuki. We're just so predictable. We just go to Kizuki every single time.
Evan Franulovich 13:02
I don't know what that is.
Danna Gamboa 13:03
It's like a ramen restaurant.
Evan Franulovich 13:06
I didn't grow up in Seattle. I grew up in Oregon.
Danna Gamboa 13:10
Oh.
Evan Franulovich 13:10
So this is my second home, although all my grandparents are from this area, so I feel like I've been here a lot, but I don't know all the little restaurants.
Danna Gamboa 13:18
You need to go to Kizuki, so good. They have one here in West Seattle. Yeah, they have one everywhere, but they have one in West Seattle.
Evan Franulovich 13:35
There's multiple branches.
Danna Gamboa 13:35
Multiple branches. So it's cool.
Evan Franulovich 13:35
Well, I'm in Capitol Hill for my office.
Danna Gamboa 13:35
They have one.
Evan Franulovich 13:35
Yes, they have one there. I'll check it out.
Danna Gamboa 13:36
I promise, it's good.
Evan Franulovich 13:36
Yes, that's my problem is I love food, and then I get all fat or whatever.
Danna Gamboa 13:36
You know, you can go running and that's it.
Evan Franulovich 13:37
Cool.
Danna Gamboa 13:37
Run it out.
Evan Franulovich 13:39
So check out that place. Shout out to Kizuki.
Danna Gamboa 13:42
Kizuki Ramen, yes. Maybe I'm not pronouncing it right. I'm sorry.
Evan Franulovich 13:54
You probably aren't.
Danna Gamboa 13:58
The people will know.
Evan Franulovich 13:59
Will know.
Danna Gamboa 14:00
Some people will know.
Evan Franulovich 13:51
So I took five years of high school Spanish back in the day, and you did four years, and you like, up to this conversational level. I'm like, 'Ah, I just don't feel confident with my Spanish, like you're speaking English.'
Danna Gamboa 14:03
I think it's because it's different when you go to school, because they don't teach you, like all the things, the slangs and stuff.
Evan Franulovich 14:11
For sure.
Danna Gamboa 14:12
Than just go and live in four years in Mexico or Colombia or Chile or Argentina or whatever. Yeah, that will help you. Don't go in Spain, because that Spanish is just like something different. I love you Spain, but the Spanish is harder. Yes, it's not as useful.
Evan Franulovich 14:26
Well, In the classroom here, we actually learn Castilian Spanish, like the vosotros.
Danna Gamboa 14:32
That's so hard. Like nobody says vosotros.
Evan Franulovich 14:35
Who says that?
Danna Gamboa 14:36
Exactly. So there's that.
Evan Franulovich 14:37
Fair enough. All right, so you came here, you did a couple of years, and then did you go back to Colombia, or did you just stay here?
Danna Gamboa 14:45
I did go back to Colombia once in my first year, because when you are here as an Au Pair is a special program. During your first year you can go anywhere in the world that you want, and during your second year you can just go to Mexico or not even Mexico. You cannot go to anywhere, just like in within United States.
Evan Franulovich 15:07
So the first year. So let me see if I understand. So the first year you work here, but you like could go be a tourist to France.
Danna Gamboa 15:15
You need to be here, living here, yes. But you can go on vacation for one week or whatever.
Evan Franulovich 15:29
Within the US?
Danna Gamboa 15:34
For the first year anywhere.
Evan Franulovich 15:35
Oh.
Danna Gamboa 15:35
Yes, and the second year, just US.
Evan Franulovich 15:35
So you could go to Canada.
Danna Gamboa 15:35
Well, I will need a visa to go to Canada. In theory, yes.
Evan Franulovich 15:35
Have you been to Canada?
Danna Gamboa 15:35
I have to get visa.
Evan Franulovich 15:35
It's so close.
Danna Gamboa 15:36
Yes, yes.
Evan Franulovich 15:36
Well, okay, so then you applied for asylum.
Danna Gamboa 15:41
I did apply for asylum.
Evan Franulovich 15:42
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 15:43
And the thing is, you need to apply for asylum before your first year in the United States ends.
Evan Franulovich 15:48
Oh, okay.
Danna Gamboa 15:49
Yeah. I'm not sure right now, but I think the second year you can go to Mexico and some islands.
Evan Franulovich 15:56
Probably the Caribbean.
Danna Gamboa 15:57
Yeah, probably Caribbean. I didn't because I applied for asylum.
Evan Franulovich 16:03
When you do the application for it, is it complicated? Did you have to get a lawyer?
Danna Gamboa 16:07
Yeah, you have to get a lawyer. It's long and complicated. And you need to have a reason. They have 5-6 different reasons that you can choose from. You can tell your story to a lawyer, and then the lawyer will be like, 'Okay, so your story falls into this category.' Oh, then let's start building it pretty much like an essay, 5-10 pages, or whatever you want to say. And then you need to have proof of what you're saying is true. So you need news from wherever you leave, or any documentation from your home country that proves that what you're seeing is correct.
Evan Franulovich 16:43
And do you collect that information, or does the lawyer?
Danna Gamboa 16:44
I did. Yeah, you have to, because it's all from Colombia. And then you give it to a lawyer, and then the lawyer starts building everything.
Evan Franulovich 16:46
You have to translate it all from Spanish and English.
Danna Gamboa 16:52
Correct.
Evan Franulovich 16:54
And then that gets submitted to the government, I'm guessing.
Danna Gamboa 16:58
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 16:58
And then how long is the process? How long does it take?
Danna Gamboa 17:00
You can wait anywhere from three months to 10 years.
Evan Franulovich 17:05
Oh, but yours didn't take that long, obviously.
Danna Gamboa 17:08
Yeah, I'm still waiting.
Evan Franulovich 17:10
Oh, you are stll waiting.
Danna Gamboa 17:11
It's been three years waiting now.
Evan Franulovich 17:13
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 17:14
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 17:15
And do you have any sense for where it's at in the process?
Danna Gamboa 17:19
No, after five months or so, you can get a work permit, and you get your social security card, and then the next step is an interview with an immigration officer. You need to tell that officer your story, and if he believes you, he will grant asylum, and then you will get a green card based on asylum. If he doesn't believe you, then you have to go to court and present the case to a judge, and then the judge will decide if they believe you or not. You can either be approved or go back home. But in the meantime, you're waiting. So while you're waiting, you get a work permit, you're unauthorized to be here in the country. You just can't leave. I guess you can leave, but you can't come back.
Evan Franulovich 17:19
So you can work, and clearly, you can also take classes.
Danna Gamboa 18:07
You can take classes. With that work permit and the social security number and you have to prove that you have been in the state for some amount of time, I think it's two years. You can be considered as a domestic student for tuition purposes.
Evan Franulovich 18:07
Right. So when she applied here, she didn't apply as an international student, which makes her unique. You applied as a domestic student?
Danna Gamboa 18:32
I did. My first application was in 2021, because I was like, 'Okay, I guess I kind of start with some easy classes and see if I like it to see what I want to do.' But then it was really hard for the residency office to figure out where to put me, and also, because it was right after covid. So it was just crazy. So I actually started classes in summer of 2023 because it took a long time to classify me as a domestic student.
Evan Franulovich 18:32
Right. So that's two years. It's a two plus two program.
Danna Gamboa 18:32
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 18:32
You do your first two years of university with us, then you transfer off. And you're almost done.
Danna Gamboa 18:32
Almost done.
Evan Franulovich 18:32
One more class she says.
Danna Gamboa 18:32
One more class.
Evan Franulovich 18:53
Okay, so why do we have her on the show if she's a domestic student? Well, there's a lot of reasons. She came from Columbia originally, so she is international, but she's actually a domestic student. So if you come here for some reason and you end up from a country that's maybe war torn, you end up doing asylum. You can still apply and get into the school. That is a way to do it. I think it's nice that people just know what an interesting international community we have here, not just people from Latin America, but Asia, Africa. Do you interact with any international students?
Danna Gamboa 19:52
Yes, I have other friends that I met here in community college that are from Latin America, from Africa and from Asia.
Evan Franulovich 19:59
And they're here on F-1 visas.
Danna Gamboa 20:01
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 20:03
Cool. When you had the choice, you could have gone to university. You didn't have to go to community college. A lot of people out there don't understand the benefit of a community college. Is it really university work? One of the reasons I wanted you on the show is just to help people out there, parents understand what is a community college? Exactly, yes.
Danna Gamboa 20:24
First of all, it's way smaller than university. I know I am a domestic student, just for tuition purposes, but for the rest, I consider myself International. So when I started community college, it has been just two years since I speak the language, so going into like a 400 student class would've been overwhelming for me. It's just too much. I would've probably not done it.
Evan Franulovich 20:48
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 20:48
My host parents, they talked to me about community college. They were like, 'I guess you could go to community college. You can try out some classes, see if you are interested.' Especially because I am an older student, medium age.
Evan Franulovich 21:09
Non traditional.
Danna Gamboa 21:10
No, I am non traditional student.
Evan Franulovich 21:11
I was too.
Danna Gamboa 21:12
So then I feel like it's really good for me. And community colleges are so unique in the way that you can find so many non traditional students, and also students that are doing so many different things. They are parenting, they are older, it can be like anywhere from late 20s to early 60s here in North Seattle College. And they are working. You never know how many jobs people have. So it's really cool that I can connect with that type of community, that I can have that network, especially because if I go right away to university to meet with maybe 19 year old people right out of high school, I would not have felt that I fit in. That's like one of the main reasons. So I really wanted to explore this in a smaller scale.
Evan Franulovich 21:57
It's great.
Danna Gamboa 21:58
And I am also from Colombia, from a tiny city that didn't even have sciences. So I know that just going to a small place doesn't change who you are, because it's all up to the students, all up to the person. You can go anywhere, but it's really who you are that is going to take you places, right? And for me, that was the main reason. And the second reason was because it's cheaper.
Evan Franulovich 22:21
Affordable. Even for an F-1 student, even if you are a true international student, it's still cheaper.
Danna Gamboa 22:26
It's still cheaper. Yes, correct. I'm in the process of start applying to schools and summer schools, for example, University of Berkeley, it's like 85,000 per year.
Evan Franulovich 22:37
It's crazy.
Danna Gamboa 22:39
I don't have that kind of like... That could be like a down payment for a house.
Evan Franulovich 22:43
I know, right?
Danna Gamboa 22:43
There is no way I'm gonna do that. Some schools are gonna have more prestige or whatever you want, but at the end of the day, you are seeing the same curriculum.
Evan Franulovich 22:52
Pretty much.
Danna Gamboa 22:53
Pretty much. That's why community colleges make so much sense for me, and it's like 10 minutes away from my house.
Evan Franulovich 22:59
Right.
Danna Gamboa 23:00
It's just perfect. And then, also, for example, I feel like Seattle Colleges are so unique in the way that they have three campuses. So, you can experience something different in each place you go. South Seattle College is more focused in the culinary arts, in all the technical things. If you go to North, you're going to find a campus that is more focused on sciences and stuff. If you go to Central, you're going to find a place that's so vibrant. It's lovely. So, you can experience so many things within the same school. For me, it makes more sense. It's perfect. And I wish more people have done it. Some people just want to go right away to a big university. Of course, you can go, take a loan, and you can finish, but then you're gonna be paying for school for how many years? Does it really make sense if you are getting the same type of education? And if you can transfer and finish in a big university, do another two years, and you can still graduate. If I apply to UW, I will be a chemical engineer from UW, right? Even if my former education was here at Seattle Colleges.
Evan Franulovich 23:01
Yes.
Danna Gamboa 23:51
No one in your diploma is gonna be like, 'You did one year here, one year there.' So it makes so much sense.
Evan Franulovich 24:19
Right. Yeah, she speaks really fast.
Danna Gamboa 24:21
I'm sorry.
Evan Franulovich 24:22
So I want to make sure you guys understand now. So when you go to community college, you'll do two years, you'll transfer. You'll do two years your bachelor's degree will say the name of the school that you end up transferring to. So you'll still get bragging rights, like parents, sometimes they're like, 'Oh, my kid, went to Berkeley.' You know, you can still go to Berkeley and still get the Berkeley diploma.
Danna Gamboa 24:44
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 24:44
Your grades better be good, and you better have a lot of money.
Danna Gamboa 24:44
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 24:45
But yeah, if you can do that, that's cool. We've had students transfer to Columbia, but most of our students go to UDub, which is an amazing school, University of Washington.
Danna Gamboa 24:57
Yes, it's great.
Evan Franulovich 24:59
Internationally ranked.
Danna Gamboa 25:00
Exactly. I have friends that graduated this spring, and they were accepted in places like UDub, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Yale. It's great. I know that South Seattle College says, 'Starting in Seattle Colleges and go anywhere.' And you quite literally, can go anywhere you want.
Evan Franulovich 25:23
Pretty much. Harvard, I don't know. I've never had a student transfer to Harvard. I don't know if they accept our transfer students, but most schools do. So you'll need to reach out to the school of your dreams and talk to them. Say, 'Hey, I'm an international student. I want to come to you. What do I get to do?'
Danna Gamboa 25:39
Yes, yes.
Evan Franulovich 25:40
I want to also just shout out to the other Seattle schools. UDub is only one university, one choice here. We have Seattle Pacific University. We have Seattle University, not to be confused with Seattle Colleges. But there are other choices if you want to stay within Seattle, other great universities you can attend to University of Puget Sound out in Tacoma, lots of places to talk to. Okay, so you're doing your two years here. You're going to transfer at some point. What has been your experience here? You sent me an email with all these amazing things you have going on, maybe you can just kind of explain to people what's going on in your life. Because she's high achiever, let's just say.
Danna Gamboa 26:32
I have a friend at the work that he always overturned.
Evan Franulovich 26:36
There is no such thing as over achieving.
Danna Gamboa 26:38
Or nerd. Yeah, I love that one. So when I started community college...
Evan Franulovich 26:45
How do you say nerd in Spanish?
Danna Gamboa 26:47
We just say nerdos.
Evan Franulovich 26:48
Okay.
Danna Gamboa 26:49
Or nerda because we have articles, you know? So it will be nerda for woman, nerdo for man. Yes, but we can say nerd too.
Evan Franulovich 26:57
Okay, cool.
Danna Gamboa 26:58
So when I started community college there were many things that I didn't know, and I didn't know who to ask either. So then what I did was like, I need to get involved and to meet new people. My first student life involvement with South Seattle College was when I got an email from Phi Theta Kappa, which is the honor society for two-year colleges. I got an email from Dante Quinine. Shout out to Dante, I love you, Dante. He's great. And then I was like, 'Oh my God, this look like a scam.' Because you get an email that says, 'Oh yeah, you're great. Pay $65 so you can be a member for life.' And I'm like, what a second. So then I went and I asked, like, some people that I knew from here from the States, and they're like, 'Yeah, that's actually a thing. Honor Societies are a thing. Phi Theta Kappa is real. So you should go talk to the department in your college, if you are not sure.' That's what I did. I just went to South Seattle College website, and I went and saw Phi Theta Kappa, and they had an email for the advisor, who is Dante. I sent Dante an email, and he connected me with the president of the honor society that at the time was Owen. Phi Theta Kappa gave me my first chance of having a community at South Seattle College.
Evan Franulovich 26:59
For sure.
Danna Gamboa 26:59
Because when I started, it was a lot of online classes and just a little bit of in-person, and I was never in the cafeteria or anything, because I have to go to work.
Evan Franulovich 27:41
Right.
Danna Gamboa 27:41
So then Phi Theta Kappa gave me a chance to actually sit down and meet people that were also driven like me. I feel like we're actually trying to get the most of the college experience. We have like 600 students that can be Phi Theta Kappa members, but you have to pay, and not everyone have, like those $65.
Evan Franulovich 27:41
But you can ask for that way to be waived.
Danna Gamboa 27:43
Yes, exactly. We have waivers. So I started just like as a provisional member, and then I started growing up within the Phi Theta Kappa chapter, because every college has a chapter. So then I went from provisional member to marketing director to VP to President. I am now your president. And with Phi Theta Kappa we did a lot of events in the school. Not just to find a community, but to actually start building your leadership skills.
Evan Franulovich 29:31
Right.
Danna Gamboa 29:31
You need to hold meetings, you need to plan events. You need to connect with so many people in the college. In so many departments. And that's what I did since I started pretty much. And I am still friends with all of those guys. And those are the guys that went to NYU, UPen, Yale, are you kidding me? Yeah, he went to Yale.
Evan Franulovich 29:51
It's awesome.
Danna Gamboa 29:52
So it's awesome. It was great. And after that, I also take classes at Central and at North. So then at North. North has, like something special that I want to tell you about, and it's like undergraduate research classes. And I got into those classes because my chemistry teacher recommended. And then those classes are pretty cool, because you can work in your own project. So then I did many undergraduate research classes, and I did two projects. One of those projects I presented at the UW Research Symposium, which is great.
Evan Franulovich 30:26
Which is how I found you, I think. I saw your article or something.
Danna Gamboa 30:29
Exactly, yes. So you get to go there, and then when I was there, you had very little people from Seattle Colleges and a lot of people from UW. So it's great because you are having an experience at the level of UW, you are presenting your research, your poster. It's just an amazing experience. And then in that class, I met a lot of Latin American students. And with three of them, we decided to like co-found an association for Latin American students that is at North and I think so far, it is the only Latin American club within the Seattle Colleges.
Evan Franulovich 31:04
Really?
Danna Gamboa 31:04
And I got the opportunity to go with them to a conference, like a Latin American conference in Chicago in February.
Evan Franulovich 31:11
Yeah, that's cool.
Danna Gamboa 31:12
That's cool. North Seattle College founded our trip so six students, one advisor. It was great.
Evan Franulovich 31:18
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 31:18
And after that, I got also the opportunity to go to the Phi Theta Kappa national conference, which was in Kansas City.
Evan Franulovich 31:26
There were central students that went to that.
Danna Gamboa 31:32
We also went to regional conferences, student advocacy days here in Olympia. And within Phi Theta Kappa, you can apply to many scholarships some of them...
Evan Franulovich 31:43
It's true.
Danna Gamboa 31:44
...are open to everyone. Some of them are open just to citizens. So of course, I applied to the one that I could and then I got one that is called all Washington Academic Team. And this year, just like 84 students across all Washington State were there. You get a nice medal. You get a scholarship. And within the same application, you can apply to five different things. So some students got the opportunity to go to Berkeley because they have, like, 60,000 in scholarships.
Evan Franulovich 32:13
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 32:14
It's incredible. It's great. So that's a lot of the involvement that I have. Within Seattle Colleges, it's like a unique case, because I am a domestic person for tuition purposes. But that doesn't mean that I can apply to all the scholarship available within the Seattle Colleges. There is one that is available to everyone, and is the Seattle Colleges Foundation Scholarship. And I applied to that one, and I got it.
Evan Franulovich 32:38
Yay! Well, how much do you get? Do you mind if I ask?
Danna Gamboa 32:41
You get paid for all your tuition, you need to enroll in 12 credits or more, and they pay for all your classes. So it's great.
Evan Franulovich 32:52
We're here at South, there's the foundation scholarship that's district wide, and then there's the South Seattle Foundation. Did you apply to both?
Danna Gamboa 33:00
I applied to the Seattle Foundation, not South, just the general.
Evan Franulovich 33:04
The general district one. Why didn't you apply to the other one?
Danna Gamboa 33:07
Not sure if I missed it or if it has a citizenship requirement.
Evan Franulovich 33:13
I'm not sure I think you have to be a South student, but I think it's open to both international and domestic. Yeah, I'm not sure the opening window is between March and May, so maybe just missed it, or whatever. Maybe they missed it. If you come to South, you get the opportunity to do both the foundation district wide and the South foundation. So it's kind of a benefit of being a South student, kind of a reason to think about South that's really cool. You talked about the scholarships through Phi Theta Kappa, and they'd talk. I did an interview, podcast interview with three of the Phi Theta Kappa people, they talked about that. So you got foundation money, but you also applied for Phi Theta Kappa and got money.
Danna Gamboa 33:50
Yes, in Phi Theta Kappa, they just reimburse the money for the class that you enroll. So, for example, I just enroll, I pay out of pocket or whatever. The first year I had WAFSA, so I didn't pay anything. And for the second year I have Seattle College's Foundation scholarship.
Evan Franulovich 34:11
The first one she mentioned isn't available to international students, but the second one is. So if you're a Colombian student, you can actually apply for the Foundation Scholarship before you even leave Columbia.
Danna Gamboa 34:25
That's great.
Evan Franulovich 34:27
If you're planning to start in the spring, make sure January to March that you apply, so that money will be here later.
Danna Gamboa 34:37
It's great. Because you have the opportunity to get all your classes paid. It's great. And for example, if you're an international student, they are more expensive, so you get more money.
Evan Franulovich 34:48
Yes, for sure.
Danna Gamboa 34:48
It doesn't have a limit. As long as you have 12 more credits, they will pay everything.
Evan Franulovich 34:51
Well, let me temper that a little bit, because I have some different information.
Danna Gamboa 34:51
Really?
Evan Franulovich 34:51
So the Foundation Scholarship, about half of the students that apply get it, it's not guaranteed. And the maximum award that I'm aware of is between five and $6,500 which as a domestic student probably would cover everything.
Danna Gamboa 35:12
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 35:13
But as an international student, it covers at least half of your tuition, which is pretty good. Still worth applying for it.
Danna Gamboa 35:22
Yeah, of course. You have to go apply and take it.
Evan Franulovich 35:24
Yeah, absolutely. My advice is to put all the applications out. There's like a LewerMark scholarship, I don't know if you know about that. Might not be open to domestic students. But there's also Project Baldwin, if you're a male and you're of color, you can apply for that. And they're apparently creating a Project Maya, have you heard about this?
Danna Gamboa 35:47
I haven't heard about that.
Evan Franulovich 35:48
So Project Baldwin is for men, but they want to have a female version of that. So that's literally the same kind of thing that will help support women of color, which would include students from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, wherever.
Danna Gamboa 36:01
That's great.
Evan Franulovich 36:02
So that's something really to think about.
Danna Gamboa 36:04
Yeah, that's great.
Evan Franulovich 36:05
Cool. Wow. That's really great. So all these great things lead up to you filling out a great application to your next school. You talking about the UDub, but have you also considered other schools?
Danna Gamboa 36:19
Yeah, I applied to Stanford, early this year and got rejected.
Evan Franulovich 36:24
I don't know if Stanford takes transfer students.
Danna Gamboa 36:27
They do, but you have to be exceptional, because the acceptance rate is zero point something.
Evan Franulovich 36:28
Okay.
Danna Gamboa 36:28
It's crazy.
Evan Franulovich 36:28
Well, she has a really exceptional resume, so her grade point average is the highest, and all that stuff.
Danna Gamboa 36:28
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 36:28
I wouldn't let that make you cry or anything.
Danna Gamboa 36:37
It happened. So I was exploring more options, and I did check Berkeley, the application is open now, and it closes in December, so that could be an option. There's another scholarship called... I don't remember the name right now, but there's like a scholarship that, if you get it, it gives you $55,000 or something.
Evan Franulovich 37:00
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 37:00
So that's a lot of money, so I will apply to that one. And if I get into Berkeley, and if I get the scholarship, Berkeley could be a good option.
Evan Franulovich 37:08
Amazing.
Danna Gamboa 37:08
I'm gonna apply to UW. And I was thinking applying to Yale too, because why not?
Evan Franulovich 37:15
Sure, yeah.
Danna Gamboa 37:17
And second of all, because they have normal transferring, which is like zero point something percent. But they also have this program that is called Ellie Whitney, and then that program is specifically for non traditional students that graduated from high school in the past five years or more, and I graduated high school like 13 years ago. So why not apply?
Evan Franulovich 37:41
Why not?
Danna Gamboa 37:41
Also, one of the Phi Theta Kappa members got into Yale. He's a veteran too.
Evan Franulovich 37:48
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 37:50
If you're a veteran, and you are in a community college, you should apply to that because you have... I was reading the statistics, and around 300 to 350 people apply, and around 250 or 230 get an acceptance letter. And around 22 of them actually go to Yale.
Evan Franulovich 38:13
Wow.
Danna Gamboa 38:14
And also like Yale covers 100% of the financial need that you need.
Evan Franulovich 38:21
Amazing. So before you run out and apply to Yale, make sure you have a really high GPA.
Danna Gamboa 38:26
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 38:27
Make sure you have a really involved resume. Be involved in your school leadership, all those kinds of things. I mean, if your grade point is a three two, don't bother applying to.
Danna Gamboa 38:38
That's true.
Evan Franulovich 38:38
That's really great. Chemistry is not an easy subject.
Danna Gamboa 38:48
No.
Evan Franulovich 38:49
How have you kept your GPA so high? Students will want to know how do you keep your grades so high?
Danna Gamboa 38:54
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 38:54
What's your secret?
Evan Franulovich 38:55
I think I two things.
Evan Franulovich 38:56
You need to be smart.
Danna Gamboa 38:58
Yeah, you need to be smart.
Evan Franulovich 39:00
Naturally smart.
Danna Gamboa 39:01
Do you need to be naturally driven too, because nobody's gonna go tell you do your homework, right?
Evan Franulovich 39:06
Right.
Danna Gamboa 39:07
And I feel like I have always been like that, I'm not trying to brag or anything. Since I was in Colombia.
Evan Franulovich 39:13
Sure.
Danna Gamboa 39:15
Since I was in high school, I was at the top of my class. So I graduated with a really high GPA from high school, and I went to business that I didn't really like. I love you my school in Cucuta, but I am not a business person. Still, I graduated with Magna Cum Laude. I graduated with like, 3.94 GPA. And I had a scholarship for 80% of my career. So I pay nothing. And I don't know, I think I'm just really competitive and not with other people within myself.
Evan Franulovich 39:44
It's yourself.
Danna Gamboa 39:45
Yeah. So, for example, I know I have a class right now and I don't have a really good first exam, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I am so self aware that I know I could have done better.' So then what I do is, I need to study. Actually what I do, there's one thing that I do is, throughout the quarter, you have a lot of homeworks, and for example, for chemistry you have math. And for college, you have another software that they use. In this case, I'm using active, but they also use XYZ or Alex or whatever, other software that your teacher is using, and they give you homeworks, and they have a practice mode. Then you can practice the same questions over and over and over until you get it and when you get it wrong, you can also answer the question. It explains to you.
Evan Franulovich 40:32
It shows you what's going on.
Danna Gamboa 40:36
The process, why it makes sense all that. So then what I do is redo my homework before my exam, I study a lot.
Evan Franulovich 40:43
Nerd.
Danna Gamboa 40:44
Yeah, I am.
Evan Franulovich 40:46
I was a bit of a nerd too. I got really great grades and all that stuff. Wow, that's cool. Okay, so you've mentioned work. You also work.
Danna Gamboa 40:57
I do work.
Evan Franulovich 40:57
So and before we started rolling. She was telling me she worked quite a bit actually. Can you tell people about how you found jobs and what kind of work you're doing?
Danna Gamboa 41:08
Yeah. So since I have a business degree from Columbia, I have a lot of experience in the marketing field. So before I finished my second upper year, I started applying to different companies, and then I got interviewed by this amazing, great company that I love in Everett, little bit far away, but worth the commute. And they have an opening for a marketing consultant position. So it was just perfect, because then I can do up to 45 hours per week, but up to, if I want to do 10, then I can do 10. If you want to do 45 you can do 45. Of course, I need to pay bills and stuff and college in classes and everything. So I am working for them, I work like around 25 hours. If we have to travel to a show, I will work like 60 hours per week. It depends. Seattle Colleges has a lot of jobs offerings. So then I applied to one that it's called new orientation leader position.
Evan Franulovich 42:08
That sounds fun.
Danna Gamboa 42:10
Yeah, so it's just pretty much to be a leader for the people that are coming to Seattle Colleges. And I just really wanted to do it because... For example, this is my third year in South Seattle College, because I didn't know I could transfer without getting my actual diploma.
Evan Franulovich 42:25
True.
Danna Gamboa 42:25
You can do that. You don't have to wait until you have the diploma, which I did. So then this is my third year, and I just want to tell these things to people, especially because we're going to have a lot of Seattle Promises, international students. We are going to have so many people here this month, so I'm doing that actually, I'm coming here every day pretty much, and it's just so close to my house. So the community is great. During the summer, I have two jobs pretty much.
Evan Franulovich 42:47
So let's talk about your housing real fast, because people always want to know, where can I live. You are in an apartment, house?
Danna Gamboa 43:03
I live in an apartment, yes.
Evan Franulovich 43:04
Do you have family?
Danna Gamboa 43:05
No family.
Evan Franulovich 43:06
Do you have roommates?
Danna Gamboa 43:09
I used to have a roommate, not anymore, because it's hard to live with roommates, especially when you're in your late 20s.
Evan Franulovich 43:16
That's true. But it does help with the cost.
Danna Gamboa 43:18
Yes, for sure. I feel like, right now Zillow is crazy. It's so expensive. So what I did, I just drove around, and there are a lot of places that say that they're renting in but they are not in Zillow, which means they are cheaper. And that's what I did. So now I live in a really cheap apartment that is in a great location, because it's in Alki. You can't find that in Zillow or Redfin or anywhere else, or Facebook or nothing. You have to go there because old people are managing this building.
Evan Franulovich 43:47
Right. So you have your own kitchen, your bathroom?
Danna Gamboa 43:52
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 43:53
You have every one bedroom, or is it a studio?
Danna Gamboa 43:55
Two.
Evan Franulovich 43:55
You have two bedrooms.
Danna Gamboa 43:55
I have two bedrooms.
Evan Franulovich 43:56
What?!
Danna Gamboa 43:56
I know.
Evan Franulovich 43:57
Do you mind if I ask what you pay?
Danna Gamboa 43:59
I pay 1700.
Evan Franulovich 44:00
That's really good.
Evan Franulovich 44:01
That's really good.
Evan Franulovich 44:02
That's crazy.
Danna Gamboa 44:03
I know, and I live across the street from the beach. I am not kidding.
Evan Franulovich 44:09
You got really lucky. That's really amazing. But I tell people this, you know, a lot of people worry about the cost of housing, and there is a lot of expensive housing out there, but if you look around and do your research you can find good stuff.
Danna Gamboa 44:21
Yes. I mean, if you think about it, if you have two bedrooms, you can have up to four people.
Evan Franulovich 44:27
For sure.
Danna Gamboa 44:29
Living in a $1700 apartment. How much is that is for one person? This is super affordable.
Evan Franulovich 44:31
Yeah, I mean, if you don't mind living with people.
Danna Gamboa 44:34
Exactly, if you're cranky like me, then you have to have two jobs so you can pay rent.
Evan Franulovich 44:39
Right. No thanks. And go to school.
Danna Gamboa 44:42
And go to school.
Evan Franulovich 44:43
I had to work and go to school. So I know what you're talking about.
Danna Gamboa 44:47
It's hard. I'm tired, but I'm about to finish. Another thing that I'm doing is I am the president of Phi Theta Kappa. With Phi Theta Kappa you have so many opportunities. So I'm also a regional officer.
Evan Franulovich 44:50
Oh, okay.
Danna Gamboa 44:52
And then you get to have a weekly meeting with people from colleges in different places in Washington State. You get to plan regional meetings, and you get to go again to the National Conference.
Evan Franulovich 45:11
Covered.
Danna Gamboa 45:12
Covered.
Evan Franulovich 45:13
You hear that? That means it's Trivia Time. This is the part of the show where we ask you five questions. See how much you know about the area. So we'll take a look. So you know, one of the great draws about the city of Seattle is that it's so natural, lots of nature, lots of places to go. We have three national parks surrounding our city. Can you name one of those national parks?
Danna Gamboa 45:42
Mount Rainier.
Evan Franulovich 45:43
Yes, Mount Rainier. Have you been?
Danna Gamboa 45:45
Yes, it's beautiful. But just once, because it's so crowded.
Evan Franulovich 45:50
Well, yeah, it can be.
Danna Gamboa 45:51
It can be.
Evan Franulovich 45:52
If you wait till later in the season, it thins out a little bit, or if you go early maybe.
Danna Gamboa 45:56
Yes, I went early this year and it was closed.
Evan Franulovich 45:58
Oh, yeah, it's a little too early.
Danna Gamboa 46:00
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 46:01
Snow is still covering the roads.
Danna Gamboa 46:04
Bear footprints everywhere.
Evan Franulovich 46:06
Yes.
Danna Gamboa 46:07
Oh my God, we should go home.
Evan Franulovich 46:09
Yeah, you probably don't get a lot of snow in your town.
Danna Gamboa 46:12
No, seriously, in Cucuta I don't even have long sleeve shirts. I don't have sweaters, I don't have jackets. I have nothing, because it's so hot.
Evan Franulovich 46:25
Now, you do.
Danna Gamboa 46:26
Now I do.
Evan Franulovich 46:27
Of course. All right. Question number two: Columbia is famous for its football. Seattle also has pretty famous soccer/football team.
Danna Gamboa 46:38
What?
Evan Franulovich 46:39
Yeah, do you know the name of our football team?
Danna Gamboa 46:42
I don't. But I'm gonna take a guess.
Evan Franulovich 46:45
Okay.
Danna Gamboa 46:46
Oh, football.
Evan Franulovich 46:49
Yeah. Like soccer/football.
Danna Gamboa 46:50
Like soccer/football.
Evan Franulovich 46:54
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 46:56
I don't know? The Seahawks?
Evan Franulovich 46:58
That's American football. The soccer football, like World Cup football.
Danna Gamboa 47:05
Seattle something.
Evan Franulovich 47:07
Yes, good. Seattle Sounders. The Sounders.
Danna Gamboa 47:12
No clue.
Evan Franulovich 47:13
You know, next year, I mean, if everything goes well, there'll be World Cup games here in Seattle. Maybe you could see your hometown.
Danna Gamboa 47:21
Maybe, if they make it, because they need to make it.
Evan Franulovich 47:25
They're usually pretty good.
Danna Gamboa 47:27
Well, they were really good in the American Cup.
Evan Franulovich 47:31
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 47:31
We were second place. We could have been first place.
Evan Franulovich 47:35
Who got first?
Danna Gamboa 47:36
Argentina, of course.
Evan Franulovich 47:37
Oh, we hate Argentina.
Danna Gamboa 47:38
We hate her.
Evan Franulovich 47:39
We don't. I'm kidding.
Danna Gamboa 47:40
I love Argentina.
Evan Franulovich 47:42
But we want someone else to win.
Danna Gamboa 47:44
Yes, in the girl American cup, we got second place too. That's not great. We need to win. We need the cup.
Evan Franulovich 47:53
You get second in the female version.
Danna Gamboa 47:57
Brazil won again. They have 10 editions of the American Cup in the girls teams, and nine of them, Brazil won.
Evan Franulovich 48:07
We love Brazil.
Danna Gamboa 48:08
Come on Brazil. I love you, but let us win one. Share that cup.
Evan Franulovich 48:13
They're not sharing. No way. All right. Question number three: There is a country to the north of Washington State called Canada. We also have a country to the south. What's the country to the southern border of the US?
Danna Gamboa 48:36
Mexico.
Evan Franulovich 48:36
It's Mexico. You would be suprised how many people don't get that.
Danna Gamboa 48:39
What?!
Evan Franulovich 48:40
I know, it's crazy. Surprising.
Danna Gamboa 48:45
Very.
Evan Franulovich 48:44
Question number four: We have three campuses. Each campus has their own mascot.
Danna Gamboa 48:52
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 48:55
What is the mascot of the North Seattle campus?
Danna Gamboa 49:00
Tree frogs.
Evan Franulovich 49:00
The tree frogs. Nice job!
Danna Gamboa 49:04
I love you North, but who chose tree frogs? Otters are cute. Tigers are feared. But the frogs?
Evan Franulovich 49:14
Scary frogs.
Danna Gamboa 49:15
Yeah, they're scary. And they're not one, but three of them.
Evan Franulovich 49:21
So question number five is pretty hard. What was the last movie you saw in the movie theater?
Danna Gamboa 49:28
That was Final Destination 5.
Evan Franulovich 49:31
Oh, it's been a while.
Danna Gamboa 49:32
It was this year.
Evan Franulovich 49:34
Yeah, I'm thinking final destination.
Danna Gamboa 49:37
Yeah, final destination. But the fifth one.
Evan Franulovich 49:40
How was it?
Danna Gamboa 49:41
It was interesting. Actually, you know how it's like something happens to someone. I'm not gonna spoil that much, so you can go see it. And in the place that happens to that person, one of the main characters, it looks pretty much like the Space Needle.
Evan Franulovich 49:58
Oh.
Danna Gamboa 49:58
Really. Looks a lot like the Space Needle.
Evan Franulovich 50:01
Space Needle.
Danna Gamboa 50:02
Yes, so it was fun.
Evan Franulovich 50:05
Cool. You like horror films?
Danna Gamboa 50:06
I guess I do. But I don't know, in United States, but in Colombia at least, final destination is so popular.
Evan Franulovich 50:16
Really?
Danna Gamboa 50:16
People love it. You know the truck with the trees? You know that reference? Everyone in Colombia knows that reference.
Evan Franulovich 50:25
Interesting.
Danna Gamboa 50:26
We were traumatized by that movie.
Evan Franulovich 50:28
I just went and saw 28 Years Later, which is a zombie film horror. It was great. I loved it. I thought it was fun. Not a perfect movie, but really good. Much better than Mission Impossible.
Danna Gamboa 50:45
Now we have all those streaming services. You just get lazy to go to the movie theater. It's harder. It was good to be back, really.
Evan Franulovich 50:54
And you also mentioned books earlier. This isn't part of the quiz, but what's one of the books you read that's both Spanish and English.
Danna Gamboa 51:01
For example, the first one that I read when I came here was Hunger Games. I loved it. I read it when I was in high school in Colombia. It was an easy book, and it's fun. I know what it's like. So let's read it anyway. Then I started with that. And then since I like a little bit more gore, I went to Stephen King.oh, sure, of course, because he has like, 1000 books, right? Yeah. So, it's fun.
Evan Franulovich 51:24
So I'm trying to read a book in Spanish, and I find it challenging, but not too bad, because I've read the English version. It helps quite a bit. So it's a really good technique to improve your language.
Danna Gamboa 51:37
Yeah, and there are some words that you're not gonna get, so just keep going.
Evan Franulovich 51:01
Yeah.
Danna Gamboa 51:38
Don't stop looking everywhere, because you're gonna be bored. At some point you will get them all, or maybe you won't, and that's fine.
Evan Franulovich 51:45
It's okay.
Danna Gamboa 51:45
Okay.
Evan Franulovich 51:47
The final part of this show is asking you to say 10-20 seconds in your first language, which is of course Spanish. Maybe people haven't really heard your type of Spanish. We've had Colombian guests on the show, but they're not from the same area of the country, so you might sound a little different. And then, yeah, you can just say hi to your family back home, or offer words of encouragement to people back in the region, whatever you want to do.
Danna Gamboa 52:25
Okay. *Danna's message in Spanish*
Evan Franulovich 52:54
And the final thing is, words of wisdom. You are a non traditional student. You've been around the block a few times. You've gone through one degree program in Colombia. Now you're doing a second. If you were to give advice to some kid or their parents back in Colombia or Venezuela or whatever, and they were thinking about coming to the US as an international student. What advice would you give them?
Danna Gamboa 53:21
I will definitely say this, and it's like a phrase that I have in my computer so I see it every day, it's 'Don't look at the odds. Because success is achievable, regardless of the odds.' It doesn't matter if you're from another country. It doesn't matter if English is your second language. It doesn't matter if you don't speak it too well. It doesn't matter. As long as you are willing to put in the work, you're willing to learn, you're willing to immerse in your community, and you're willing to do all those things. You will get it. This is my third year, and I still feel in some classes that my teachers speak so fast, and then you get a little bit triggered by that. Just go to Google, go to YouTube. YouTube is free, and it has everything. So when I don't get a topic or something, I just go and watch some videos. I just ask for help. I just go to tutoring classes. It really doesn't matter where you start. You can do something and go anywhere if you are willing to think good of yourself, don't be the first person to say no to yourself. Don't think that you are not good for college. Don't think you are not good for being in this country. You can do it. Everyone can do it, certainly you can do it.
Evan Franulovich 53:21
Good. Well, thanks so much for coming on the show. Really appreciate it. So great to meet you. I wish you luck in all your future endeavors.
Danna Gamboa 54:33
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 54:33
If you do get out, and if you do go to Yale or Berkeley, and then you come back, we'll do another show.
Speaker 1 54:40
I will come back anyway.
Evan Franulovich 54:45
For sure. All right, guys, thanks so much for being here with us. Remember every Wednesday here on Seattle Colleges conversations with don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Adios!
Danna Gamboa 54:58
Adios!
Evan Franulovich 54:59
Gracias!
Evan Franulovich 55:03
Conversations with! is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me, Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.