Name: Dante Beukes
Major: English
Classification: Sophomore
Graduation date: Spring 2025
Home country: Windhoek, Namibia
Extracurricular activities: “I’m part of the chess team here at UTRGV. That’s the main reason I’m here. … I play tennis … Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
What are the differences between your home country and the United States? “Where do I start? Of course … [it is] very different. There are also a lot of similarities, right? Because America has this influence on culture and media in the world. So, there are also similarities. My country’s quite Westernized. … In my country, we are more relaxed. … Here, it seems like people just want to work, work, work, work, work, right? Where in my country, [it] is more chill. … There are lots of differences, of course, but maybe this is the main one.”
What is on your bucket list? “Well, I want to become a chess grand master. That’s the highest title in chess. But I don’t know if that’s a bucket list. That’s more of a goal.”
Who is your role model? “My parents have had a great impact on me. … They are very hardworking and very diligent people. So, I would say my mom and my dad.”
Why did you choose the major you are in? “I think the liberal arts are very important in today’s society. … I chose English literature because I think it’s about people, like, literature is about people. It’s about the world. So, that’s why I’m studying literature.”
What movies or shows do you like? “I’m watching ‘Peaky Blinders,’ and it’s pretty good. I was also watching ‘Breaking Bad,’ recently. I wouldn’t say they are, like, my favorite, but they’re what I’ve watched recently.”
What advice would you give other international students? “It’s very important to build … connections, right? Because when you are an international student, you come here and you know no one. So, it’s very important to make some new friends and approach people and talk to people because you never know how they can assist you later on, right? Especially, because you don’t really have a support system when you come here. So, you need to build it yourself.”
–Compiled by Fatima Gamez Lopez
