Name: Lea Karren
Major: Mass Communication
Classification: Senior
Graduation date: Spring 2024
Hometown: Pont I’Abbé, France
Extracurricular activities: “I’m part of the women’s tennis team. … When I’m [back] home, I do surfing and I … walk around and go to the beach.”
What are the differences between your hometown and the United States?
“The big difference for me was the culture is very different. … It is really completely different compared to Europe or France. Because … pretty much everywhere in Europe, in France, even in college, it’s all about school. You go from 8 to, like, 5 or even later, just school, school, school, and we don’t have time for extra activity or sports. … My dream would be to be in France, and also maybe be in the United States. I really like both of the countries.”
Who is your role model? “I really like Kobe Bryant. … The work ethic that he [had] is very, very inspiring. And then Tim Tebow, because I am pretty religious, and I think everything he’s saying is inspiring and I’m part of the FCA here, the Fellowship [of] Christian Athletes. … So we train to bring everybody in spreading the word.”
Why did you choose the major you are in? “At first I was doing marketing and … I did accounting classes and it was not my thing. … I really like social media and I’m always on Instagram and TikTok and I like to communicate. So, my adviser told me that would be a good one and I was like, ‘Oh, why not to try?’ and since then, I really enjoyed going to class. I did a bit of everything, advertising, journalism and television.”
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
“Going to the ocean with my mom and doing regular weekends there. Like, just going after class. We would go for a swim and so that would be, for sure, my childhood memories. … To go to the ocean every single day. I can go whenever I want to. So, it’s part of my childhood, for sure.”
What advice would you give other international students?
“Don’t be shy to go out there and meet some people. Even if my English was horrible my first year, it just got better by being … with a lot of other Americans or even foreigners. … Communicate with everyone, be friendly with everyone. Here we have a chance to go to all the games and, yeah, that’s how you can meet a lot of new people. So, I will say be open and just try to make new friends and enjoy as much as you can because time flies.”
–Compiled by Fatima Gamez Lopez
