St. Joseph’s University shared that a first-year student was able to begin classes in 2019, even though he could not leave his home country. 

Javier Arana, who hails from Nicaragua, was not able to attend his new school in 2019 due to COVID-19, but he did not let the pandemic stop him and neither did the school. 

Arana was able to attend his classes in an online capacity and also got to meet his classmates and even participate in the debate team, all from the safety of his own home. 

“My intention was always to be on campus,” Arana said. “I liked the campus, and I was impressed with their academics. And the school’s values aligned with my family’s.” 

Arana was raised in Nicaragua and was able to attend a bilingual high school, giving him the opportunity to grow up learning English and Spanish, and making him more versatile as an individual and a student. It was in his high school that he learned about SJU.

“I met with the representative, and we talked a lot about St. Joe’s business program. I was really interested in marketing at the time, so the school stayed on my radar when I was looking at colleges,” Arana said. 

While the values of SJU aligned perfectly with Arana, there were some cultural differences that were apparent, although nothing which was awkward or uncomfortable.

“Nicaragua is a very conservative country,” Arana said. “Everyone knows everyone, so when you go out, you have to dress up and look nice. For my first day of class, I was dressed up and made myself look nice, and then I saw people in their hoodies and in their beds.”

While it is not what he thought it was going to be, and there have been some challenges — a two-hour time difference with daylight savings time and a hurricane in Nicaragua —Arana is glad that he has chosen SJU and awaits the day he can attend in person.