Oleksandr Iakovenko
Oleksandr Iakovenko has always been into adventures of his own and others.
Growing up, the Ukraine native enjoyed skiing and snowboarding in his homeland and several surrounding countries.
Then, after attending a private Ukrainian university as a business administration major, he went to work as a manager in the airline business.
His adventure from there? He is enrolled in the pre-MBA program at the San Diego State University American Language Institute with hopes of one day obtaining his business MBA.
“After years of working, I realized that I needed more knowledge for my career,” he said. “I observed information on the Internet and found that the ALI pre-MBA and pre-Master’s programs are among the best in the United States. That’s why I came here.”
Oleksandr plans to return to his Ukrainian home, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, after attending one semester at ALI. His goal is to work back home for several months, then return to America and enroll in an MBA program, possibly at SDSU.
“The university here is very nice, especially the campus and the teachers” he said. “The teachers are the best feature of the program; they are great. Everyone here is really kind and willing to help students.”
Among other items, Oleksandr has been pleased with how much ALI instructors have helped him with his English pronunciation and grammar. He speaks four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English, and French.
According to Oleksandr, he has been helped greatly being surrounded in his classes by students from more than 20 countries such as Brazil, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and China.
“It has been very useful to exchange stories and ideas with students from other countries,” he said. “It’s a different approach; it’s more than just learning from books.”
No matter where his career takes him, there are certain to be many more adventures for the Ukrainian student.
