As Palo Alto continues to grow and thrive, so does the diversity of its student population.

Students come from all over the world: Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Turkey, Vietnam, England and Germany. Despite the mix of countries represented, Palo Alto has only 13 international students enrolled.

International students have graced colleges and universities with their different cultures and languages for years now. For the 2004-2005 academic school year, over 569,039 international students attended American colleges and universities, according to Edupass.org.

This number would probably be even higher, except that getting into the United States can be difficult and an often tedious task. Nora Esparza, Palo Alto’s Education Support Specialist, processes paperwork and offers guidance for international students.

“I think the students that they make friends with here are curious about who they are. They teach our students about where they come from, and how different it is,” she said.

Jessica Nuñez was born in Panama City Panama, and is dually enrolled at Palo Alto and at Our Lady of the Lake University.

“I would love to see more international students, so that people can see that Hispanic does not always mean Mexican,” she said, explaining the familiar stereotype that is well-known in the Hispanic community: if you’re brown, you’re automatically assumed to be of Mexican descent.

Palo Alto has already made several successful efforts to make the world available to its students. Since 2000, Palo Alto has taken part in an International Education Week that takes place in the fall and incorporates different lectures conducted by professors who are a part of the Fulbright Teachers Exchange program. The Fulbright program allows teachers from other countries to come teach at one of the Alamo Community College District colleges. Throughout the week, students can imerse themselves in film festivals, respected speakers, and they can also sample international cuisine.

Palo Alto has also implemented an International Studies Certificate, and is soon to announce an associate’s degree in International Studies that will be detailed in next year’s college bulletin. The certificate requires 12 hours of coursework, including an electronic portfolio. The certificate has been designed to inform students of the global, societal and environmental issues that affect all countries.

Even if Palo Alto cannot have the world brought to your front step, they can take you to the world. As a way of broadening minds, the school has made Study Abroad an option for all its students. For the upcoming Maymester and Summer I sessions, students will be traveling to Turkey and Spain. Now, as you’re learning the history of a country you’re studying, you can also see it up close and personally.

For more information on International Studies, contact Alba De Leon at (210) 921-5342. For information on international admissions, contact Nora Esparza at (210) 921-5242.