My name is Natalia Palacio. I was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. I learned English at Marymount School in my native city. When I was a sophomore I wanted to be a psychologist, but soon decided on Industrial Engineering following the advice of my career advisor at school.

As an industrial Engineer I can work in the human resources field and be able to use my natural ability for math and physics. After graduation, I went on to study Industrial Engineering at the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla.

I have always dreamed of participating in a student exchange program. I think it is interesting to meet people from other countries, to learn about their culture and customs and also to get the opportunity to show people a little of my country. The Universidad del Norte has agreements with several universities around the world. So I applied to one of their exchange programs, and chose USF after a friend's recommendation.

I came to the US as an exchange student to attend USF's Industrial Engineering program for the spring semester 2002. Being in a new place for the first time far away from home was an intimidating challenge for me. After making friends, having fun, and experiencing USF classes, I have decided to stay. Making that decision was not easy, but I like everything about USF. The Tampa campus is so big and there are so many events for students to participate in. Students have access to many facilities like the gym, and computer labs, printing, scanning, and internet services.

Most of the classes have no more than 25 students which make the educational experience more personalized. Also, it is easy to contact a professor or a teaching assistant whenever you need help with homework or assignments. During the summer of 2002 I started working as a student assistant in the Office of Recruitment and Retention at the College of Engineering. It has been a wonderful experience for me, I have learned a lot from the office director Mrs. Eva Fernandez.

For the fall 2002, Mrs. Fernandez is planning to start a program of student ambassadors for the College of Engineering. They will be in charge of promoting the College of Engineering through events and giving tours of the university. This will be a great challenge for me and I am looking forward to doing an excellent job.

If you want to contact me to ask more about the College of Engineering, feel free to call me at (813) 974-5154.