"I applied to Boston University, American University in Washington, DC, Emmanuel College, Emerson College, New York University and Arcadia University. While I was accepted at all of those institutions and mostly offered very attractive scholarships, The College of New Rochelle offered the best combination of majors, location, and scholarship money." Milena Tercheva Class of 2008 International Studies & Communication Arts School of Arts & Sciences The College of New Rochelle

Where are you from, Milena?

How old were you when you came to the U.S?

I had just turned 18.

Why did you come to the United States?

 
How did you hear about CNR?

What other colleges did you consider and why did you pick CNR?

I applied to Boston University, American University in Washington, DC, Emmanuel College, Emerson College, New York University and Arcadia University. While I was accepted at all of those institutions and mostly offered very attractive scholarships, The College of New Rochelle offered the best combination of majors, location, and scholarship money. I also got in contact with Maya Georgieva, another Bulgarian who had just graduated from CNR and gone off to Columbia University. She advised me that CNR provided good opportunities for personal advancement.

What is your major?

I am a double major in International Studies and Communication Arts and I am also in the Honors program

What do you like about the Honors Program?

The Honors Program offers very challenging classes. I absolutely love that. It offers additional depth, encourages critical thinking and requires intensive research, which is important for me and my academic goals. Plus, the whole experience in the Honors Program is very enjoyable. I have read some very good books in my classes that otherwise I would likely not have read or been given the opportunity to debate.

Do you have a job on campus or off campus now?

I work part-time on campus at Academic Computing Services with our faculty, helping, for example, with any problems they might have with their computers or course management systems like ANGEL.

Tell us about some of your favorite professors and why you like them.

Dr. Daniel McCarthy, Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Roxanne Zimmer, Associate Professor of Communication Arts, Dr. Michael Grabowski, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts,  Dr. Michael Quinn, Associate Professor of Communication Arts, and Dr. Anne McKernan, Associate Professor of History. I have very professional and productive relationships with all of them, and they have all helped me develop my skills and achieve excellence in many areas. I would like to thank them all for their continued support.

What clubs or organizations are you involved with as a student?

Last year I was the co-editor of Tatler, the college newspaper, and the President of the CNR Model United Nations club. I was also a part of the UNIFEM chapter here at CNR in my sophomore year. Right now, I am not a part of any organization because I am busy with applications for law schools.

Tell us about your internship experience here at the College?

Last semester I worked with Lawyers Without Borders, Inc (LWOB), a pro bono legal aid organization in Hartford, CT with a special status at the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) at the United Nations. The organization provides free or low-cost legal services to countries around the world both in domestic and international law and also helps other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). LWOB connects a network of top lawyers to organizations and countries who need them on various projects. The lawyers engage in law-making and assisting the legal systems in developing countries, such as Namibia, Uganda, Liberia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana. 

As a part of my internship, I also attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 51st session on violence against the girl child and women's rights. Also, as a LWOB intern, I was appointed a reporter at the UNESCO Intergenerational Forum to the UNESCO Chair of Comparative Human Rights in August 2007 at the University of Connecticut.

How important was this internship to you in your college career?

My internship was positively the most engaging experience I've had since my arrival to the United States in 2004. I learned a lot about the work of several international organizations and had the opportunity to meet hundreds of people from around the world, all in the human rights and international law sphere. I have become good friends with many of them and we will probably end up working together both in the U.S. and Europe. The internship was a very intense working and learning experience, which changed my plans for my immediate education following college. I had previously intended to return to Europe immediately after graduation to pursue a research degree in European Studies. As a result of the internship, however, I decided to attend law school after I graduate in May 2008.

Is there a particular field you are interested in, Milena?

Yes, at law school I would like to study international trade and finance law, as well as European Law because I would like to enter the field of government and policy making, most probably in the European Union.

To find out if  CNR is the right choice for you, please contact: School of Arts & Sciences Office of Admission The College of New Rochelle 29 Castle Place New Rochelle, NY 10805 914-654-5334  email: admission@cnr.edu