Its pretty rare for me when my personal and professional passions are able to meet. Today however, I was given the opportunity to have that become a reality. For those who know me personally, you know that soccer and international recruiting drive me. Therefore, when Natalia Gaitan, one of our star female soccer players and Colombian international student, agreed to an interview with me I was charged. I met with Natalia in my office for a short interview session and she was as nice and friendly in person as she is tenacious and driven on the pitch.  Natalia is a junior in the College of Business and Innovation, and a defender on both the UT and Colombian Women’s National Team.  Natalia came to Toledo from Bogota, where she used an athletic recruitment management company to help her find soccer programs in the US where she could play and get an education.  I was able to discuss a number of topics with her.

Mark Schroeder:  So, why Toledo?

Natalia Gaitan:  I knew I wanted to play at the next level so I worked with a sports recruitment agency to help me find a school.  They had already sent a tennis player to Toledo, so they knew about the school and the soccer program.

MS: Have you always played defense?

NG: Yes, pretty much.  I started there and after a while I tried to move up to a holding midfielder position…but they told me to get back! (laughing!!!)

MS: I’m pretty sure you are the first Toledo athlete to play in a World Cup.  What was your best and worst memory of the experience last summer in Germany?

NG:  The best was the atmosphere, especially in our second game, against the United State.  The stadium was crazy and it was very loud.  It was amazing.  The worst was the same game.  Since we lost to the US 3-nil, we knew we could not advance due to our loss in the first game.

MS:  What did you learn from that game against the US that can help you against them in London this summer?

NG:  We have to be able to get forward and hold the ball in midfield.  Against the US, the pressure they create up the pitch is intense.  In the first 15 minutes of our game with them, I was like, “Are you kidding me?  This is crazy!”  So we have to be able to move the ball up the pitch to stretch them out and make them defend as well.

Starting Wednesday, June 25th, Natalia will lead her team in the London Summer Olympic games.  You can see the schedule for the Women’s tournament here.  Colombia open the Tournament against the North Koreans and then will face the United Sates again on the 28th.  The first two games will be played in Glasgow, Scotland at Hampden Park, the Scottish National Football Stadium.  The third game of the preliminary stage will be in Newcastle, at St. James Park (Home of English Premier League side Newcastle United, currently in fourth place in the EPL and in line to play in next year’s Champion’s League competition) against France on July 31st.  The top two teams from the groups will advance to the quarter-finals with two of the third place teams advancing based on record and goal differential.  For a great review about the Colombia national team and preview of the Olympics, check out this article from FIFA.

MS: Has your family been able to visit Toledo and are they able to come to London for the Olympics?

NG: Yes!  They visited me during the fall semester and got to see some of our games.  They are not going to come to London.

MS: What are you looking forward to for the Olympics?

NG:  We will be in Glasgow for the first game so I think we may miss the opening ceremonies, so I am a little bummed about that.  I really wanted to be in the stadium and walk in with the other athletes.  But for the women, the Olympics is bigger than the World Cup.  It is what I dreamed about since I was a kid so I am very excited to play and just be a part of it.

MS: Favorite team?

NG:  Real Madrid.

MS: This interview is over!  You know I am an Arsenal fan!  (Arsenal are currently in third place in the English Premier league and looking to secure their 15th straight appearance in the Champions League)  Okay, just kidding, I’m glad you guys took Ronaldo out of England.

MS: How about your favorite player?

NG:  My favorite player and the player I tried to play like was Paulo Maldini who played defense for AC Milan.

MS: What would your dream job be?

NG: To work for FIFA (the international governing body for soccer) and help bring football to developing countries.

MS: What job would you never want to do?

NG:  Any boring office job like in here.

MS:  (Sobbing)   What are your plans after graduation?

NG: I have two options.  The first would be to play professionally in Europe.  If not then I want to get my master’s degree in sports management.

MS: What are the best and challenging things about being an international student?

NG: The best is absolutely the new experiences.  The culture, language and people here are all so different.  I think the hard part is getting people to not think of my country as a place with nothing but drugs and problems.  It really is not that way and is a lovely country.

I am very happy to say that I will be visiting Natalia’s country and home city in the fall of 2012.  I will be participating in our first major recruitment effort from the Admission Office to bring more students from South America to Toledo.  I will be visiting Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia on the US State Department’s fall 2012 Education USA tour.  I am hoping Natalia can tell me some good places to eat and visit in Bogota before my visit!

MS: So what are your favorite things about UT and Toledo itself?

NG: Well I love campus, its just very beautiful and peaceful, just like Toledo.  Bogota is a big and crowded city with too much traffic and lots of people.  Here everything is organized and accessible.  I also love my teachers and classes in the College of Business and Innovation.  The new building is just beautiful.

MS: How does is feel to be listed as one of the “50 Players We Can’t Wait to See in London” by Bleacher Report?

NG:  Its very nice and amazing.  I’m just very happy to play for my country and can’t wait to go home in a week to begin training for the games.

MS: Okay, last question.  Your favorite word or phrase in your own language?

NG:  Bacano.  It means nice, like cool, you know?

Yes,  I do and yes, you are.

Are you an international student who wants to tell their story?  I will be profiling a new international student each month in my journal, so please contact me if you are interested.

So my plans to update everyone along the way for spring travel have taken a bit of a hit but I will do better with my next three countries.  So far I have been in China, Kazakhstan, UAE and Oman.  I’m current,y in Dubai about half way through this recruitment trip.  I’m missing March Madness and another run by our Ladies basketball team in the NIT.

This trip has been very productive so far.  On the first leg I was able to take my boss, Larry Burns, on his first trip to China.  We did a little bit of  planes, trains and automobiles and I kept him pretty busy but he was able to fit right in.  We had some very good meetings at schools and the Chinese videos that our excellent marketing team Chris Ankney and Xinren Larry Yu put together were an excellent tool that we used for Alumni to new prospective students?  If you have not seen it, please check it out here. UT Chinese Welcome I apologize in advance for my robotic Chinese.  Larry and his signature bow ties were a big hit in China and we brought a number them to give as gifts to our new and fed friends.  Larry’s goal to make the bow-tie ubiquitous again found its match with my neck but I have a goal to learn to tie the slippery thing before I return.  One thing that did come of the trip is that I’m pretty certain Larry is the first person in over 50 years to climb the Great Wall of China in a bow-tie and the newly monikered “Executive Climbing Loafers”.

After a good visit in China I returned to one of my favorite countries in the world, Kazakhstan.  Forget the Borat references and my  earlier posts about drinking horse milk, this place is great.  It is the cross roads of Asia and you can see every group and tribe that crossed the steppes of Asia in trade along the Silk Road here.  Russian, Chinese, Korean, Kazakh, Mongol, Indian, Turkic, Azeri and Arab all have left their influences along the way.  It must be said that the Soviet imprint is still here in the look, feel and architecture of the place but the people are friendly, open and gracious.  I was able to visit Almaty and Karaganda (the fourth largest city in Kazakhstan) which reminded me a lot of Toledo.  Smaller, but with all the amenities of a larger city.  And they even have a Brewery!  But mainly Karaganda is known for its coal and the fact that the Soviets imprisoned about 300,000 ethic Volga Germans here in the 1940′s when the Germans invaded Poland.  Most of them were forced to work in the coal mines to keep the Soviet War machine running.  Since the break up of the USSR, over 100,000 have returned to Germany.  The good part for me is that some stayed and we got to have an incredible dinner with hosts ousts from the Education USA office in a Kazakh German Ale  House.  It looked like a hunting lodge but it was two stories underground in what I’m pretty sure was an old bomb shelter.  The bacon and cheese wrapped hunter sausages and home style potatoes were amazing.  We were treated to a beautiful surprise snow storm, which was more than I saw all winter in Toledo.  Go figure.  I was even able to help out the hotel staff and shovel the walk (in my shorts of course) and see someone experience the bliss of soft, falling snow on their face for the first time ever.  I may have even shoveled their name in the snow for a picture.  Come on, how many times do you get to experience a first snowfall ever with someone?

Okay, I’m off to Amman, Jordan in the morning.  I’ll write about the wonders of the Middle East in the next post before I head off to Korea and Taiwan.

Forward!

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.” –Prefontaine.

I am constantly reminded of the quote above by the running legend, Steve “Pre” Prefontaine.   If there is anyone that can remind you why your mind, body and soul take over you when you run, it’s “Pre”. 

While we cannot all run like Prefontaine, we can run for the things that we believe in.  I have run in the Glass City ½ Marathon for the past 3 years, and every time I feel like I am running for a different reason.  I forget about the runners around me and focus on why I am there.  The Glass City Marathon this year is being held on Sunday April 22, 2012 on The University of Toledo’s Main Campus.  The race will end at UT’s Glass Bowl, which is a very exciting and fun finish! When the Glass City Marathon first started it had only 175 runners with an entry fee of $2.00, and a late registration fee of $4.00.  Today the race is capped at 7,000 runners and has a marathon entry fee of $70 and a ½ Marathon fee of $50.  It is amazing to think how different the structure of the Glass City Marathon was, from today.  Back then the popular shoe was the Nike Waffle Trainer, designed by Prefontaine’s Coach, Bill Bowerman.  Today people are running barefoot, or with the open toe running shoes, with sport jelly belly beans and packs of goo!  The small things have changed, but the art of running still stays the same.

If you have not considered registering for The Glass City Marathon, ½ Marathon, 5 person relay team or 5K…..you should! You should run, or walk, and do it for something you believe in.  I think we are so fortunate to hold this race on our beautiful campus, and showcase UT during the race.  To register, or volunteer, for the 2012 Glass City Marathon you can do so here: http://www.glasscitymarathon.org/

Citius. Altius. Fortius.  Faster.  Higher.  Stronger.  This year do something different and challenge yourself on this beautiful campus.  See you on April 22….GO ROCKETS!

Hello Followers!
After being away far to long from my journal duties, I wanted to have some closure from my fall travels.  I wrote a somewhat long-winded entry, which was then expertly edited by the fantastic Deanna Woolf,  for our Enrollment Rundown e-newsletter that was published in January.  First I’ll do a quick plug for the Enrollment Rundown by saying that this is an excellent e-publication being done by our communications staff that keeps the campus in the loop about our many and varied recruitment activities, both on and off campus.  If you are not getting the Enrollment Rundown please let me know and I will see that you are added to the distribution list.  That e-pub is why I am now logging this post- the feedback I got from that entry was positive and numerous.  I realized that not everyone gets the ER so I figured I would re-post it to the wider web audience via my journal.    What follows is an edited version of the ER article.

The academic year kicked off in August with a record new student enrollment of 167 new international undergrads and more than 80 American Language Institute students joining UT.  After getting them all settled and the semester underway,  I embarked on an aggressive 12-week worldwide recruitment schedule.
• First was a trip to London to the largest academic agent fair in Europe. As I was representing the only U.S. university in attendance, I was VERY busy.
• From the UK, I traveled to India for a four-city recruiting fair schedule, visiting Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Calcutta.
• After India, I traveled North to Kathmandu, Nepal. This was my second time in Nepal, and I returned due to the very warm reception we received two years ago. We currently have 24 Nepalese students at UT, which is very high compared to other U.S. schools.
• From Nepal, I went on my annual visit to the Middle East. We had school visits and fairs in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. This is my sixth year in a row visiting the Middle East, and it continues to be one of our strongest markets.
• After the Middle East, I flew to China, visiting schools and fairs in Guangzhou, Chengdu, Urumqi and Beijing.
• I arrived back in the states for a short visit to Washington, D.C., for the annual conference for the National Council of U.S.-Arab Relations. Then, it was off to Turkey. And yes, I was in Turkey on Thanksgiving. What a great trip — nice people, great students and amazing scenery. I attended fairs in four cities: Ankara, Adana, Izmir and Istanbul (Constantinople/Byzantium), and I can’t wait to get some of these great students to UT.
• Finally, I returned to China to visit some agencies and students, but most importantly, to set up my spring trip to China with Larry Burns.
My travels for the next few months include China in late February/early March to visit Shanghai, Xi’an, our sister city Qinhuangdao and Beijing. From there, I will head to Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Jordan.
After that, I will travel to  Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan on an EducationUSA fair co-sponsored by the US Departments of State and Commerce.  In Pakistan, I will visiting students in our newest sister city, Hyderabad.
I look forward to hearing from others here at UT who travel the world and would appreciate learning about your contacts, efforts and projects. Particularly, if I can help you in any way or you feel there are people, places or schools I need to be visiting or calling on, I welcome your feedback.

So the next couple of months will be busy again but frankly it’s what I love to do.  I promise more to come, and if you have things you want to hear about regarding my travels, countries, visits or other topics please let me know.

You can reach me by e-mailing me from the link below or directly at mark.schroeder5@utoledo.edu

Any UT faculty and staff that are looking for a good organization to donate to this holiday season should look into UTC3.

UTC3 is specific to the UT community and targets four local federations: the United Way of Northwest Ohio, Northwest Ohio Community Shares, Community Health Charities of Ohio and Earth Share of Ohio. These organizations represent thousands of local and international charitable organizations across the globe.

This is a great way to help out some people that are in need. The goal for The University of Toledo this year is $250,000! With your help we can achieve this goal! Every donation (no matter the size) counts! If you want to learn more about UTC3 please check out this website http://utnews.utoledo.edu/index.php/10_24_2011/community-charitable-campaign-continues-toward-250000-goal

Also, if you decide that you want to donate please go to this website: https://uwgt.upicsolutions.org/uwgt/crm/Home.jsp

Today was Campus Preview Day here at The University of Toledo. I met students and families from Pickerington, Lasalle, Reynoldsburg, North Olmstead, and Columbus, just to name a few. As I chatted with the students, we talked about their hometowns, high schools, and career ambitions. Something really struck me as we talked about ambitions, and I could literally feel the passion radiating out of them as they talked about their hope to change lives and transform groups or communities. Every one of us has a goal, but how quickly can we lose sight of that goal when we are pushing through years of preparation and hard work? It is so simple to get discouraged and feel so inadequate or intimidated in such a big world, so I am here to hopefully offer some hope and words of encouragement.

There is a phrase that my dad often spoke to me when I would get unbelievably discouraged with the amount of preparation that went into competition as a team captain. It went something like this…”It is the unseen effort that inspires the praise of thousands.” These words offered comfort and reassurance that each day, each minute, and each second of work would reap exponential results. It is not the time of performance that makes you great, but it is the time of preparation.

So for all of you students and employees out there who want to make a difference in the world, and you feel like you are hardly making a dent, be comforted. All of the hard work that you pour into your classes, your job, your community service, etc.  may not be noticed as much of anything right now, but I assure you that it will all pay off. There are many trudging right beside you on the long journey to success, and you never know who you will impact along the way.

Pledge to yourself to stay in it for the long haul, and do your best to keep your head up along the way. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, and never let your discouragement get the best of you! We will overcome!

Last night I was feverishly studying Chapter 2 for my Information Systems and E-Business course. Anything related to information-systems is the farthest thing from being easily understood for me, but I do everything possible to make it fun, enjoyable, and interesting. My co-workers have just recently noticed the dry-erase board in my office that says “I LOVE Information Systems!” Yes, I am relentlessly teased, but you have to try and have a good attitude, right?

Well, during my study last night, all of this happy go-lucky positiveness just about disappeared. While reading each paragraph at least twice in order to understand usually gets the job done, it wasn’t cutting it. Why? Acronyms. Those darn things will be the death of me in this class. OLTP, TPS, OLAP, DSS, Blah…blah…blah. After flipping back to the original term every single time the acronym popped up in the chapter, I was thoroughly exhausted. No longer did TPS mean Toledo Public Schools…it now meant Transaction Processing System. Ugh…time to retrain the brain.

I started thinking of how difficult I find some acronyms and how simple I find others. For example, DNA…used to be tough, but now I get it. I know what it stands for. Some don’t fully understand what they are referring to when they use acronyms. Then, of course, my mind went to UT…what does it really stand for? The University of Toledo…duh, Lindsey. Nope. Wrong. It means a lot more than that.

UT stands for Unequaled Traditions, Ultimate Campus EvenTs, Unique OrganizaTions, Unsurpassable Talent, Unbelievable StudenTs, a Unified ObjecTive, and Ubiquitous School SpiriT! Now that’s MY kind of acronym!

Get to know UT. It’s incredible, and making the decision to attend UT has been one of my proudest moments. Have any more good definitions for UT? The first student to post one on this blog gets a $5 Starbucks gift card, courtesy of yours truly. Have fun!

-Linds

Welcome to day 2 of Fall semester!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year – beautiful weather, studying outside, campus cookouts, and anticipation of the holiday season! Just walking across campus during the early Fall semester would make me smile. I have fond memories of my time as an undergrad here at UT. I regrettably graduated in Spring 2009 (yes, I said regrettably…I am your dictionary definition of school nerd), and went on to work in the real world after business school. I had every intention of coming back to UT for my Master’s degree, but the timing just wasn’t right.

In April, I was told about a position opening up in the Admission Office…a recruitment position. You mean that I would be able to use all of my excitement about UT for something productive? YES! Count me in!

I have been here for just over a month now, and have loved every second of my new career. I am beamingly proud to say that the faculty and staff at UT are just as courteous to their employees as they are to their students, and my incredible experience is continuing each day I am here. I get to work with high school students, transfer students, and adults interested in attending UT, and I feel so privileged to represent this institution to these students!

And so, although I was gone from UT for two years, I never lost my Rocket pride, and it is back full-force! I cannot wait to meet as many students and faculty as possible, and I hope to assist you in any way that I can.

Go Rockets!!

~Lindsey

My fiance always gets frustrated with me because I’m one of those people who is early to everything. I can not stand to be running late. She on the other hand, loves to try and time everything just right. Consequently, she tends to run late for events in life. I can honestly say that she makes me a better person because I have developed the quality of patience (Due in fact to her lateness)! Needless to say, we are a perfect match! (seriously though, I love you Chelsea)….

But i’m not writing this to tell everyone our pre-martial problems of punctuatlity. I’m writing this because I wanted to let everyone know that IT’S NOT TOO LATE to become a student at The University of Toledo! If you are still interested in joining Rocket Nation and becoming part of the UT family then call our admission office ASAP at 419.530.8888 or apply online at https://apply.utoledo.edu/prod/bwskalog.p_disploginnew 

Also follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/utoledo and join the conversation using the hashtags #toolate and #nottoolate!

Want to be the first of your friends with a smart phone #toolate / Want to be apart of the number 1 school in the MAC #nottoolate

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Miac58HF4

Here in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, we recruiters have territories of areas of the state(s) that we cover. We visit high schools, community colleges, college fairs and host various events for students in our territories. We spend a great amount of time traveling to these areas and educating the students, parents and staff of schools on all the great opportunities that The University of Toledo can offer students.

This past year, I was the recruiter for Northeast Ohio, but recently switched to North Central Ohio starting this month (Thanks Armando). This is an area that I am very excited to recruit from because it is the area that I grew up in.  Originally from Vermilion, Ohio (Go Sailors) I grew up knowing Erie, Lorain, Huron and Medina counties like the back of my hand. I have been to many of the schools that I now cover while in high school playing different sports and for various events. A large amount of my extended family lives in this area and many friends of the family as well.

I am truly looking forward to speaking with students from this area and sharing stories with them of why I chose to come to UT. Having only graduated high school five years ago, I am still able to relate to their concerns about choosing the right college for them. I hope they feel a sense of familiarity when I mention that I am from the area and when we talk about the various similarities and experiences we all have.

Most of all, I want my alma mater, The University of Toledo, to have a positive image and impact on people’s lives in the area that I grew up in. While I do very much enjoy the summer weather, this will certainly take the sting out of fall when I get to start visiting these great, familiar places.

Go Rockets