
Jorinde van den Berg
Chairperson & Professor
Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Chairperson & Professor
I lead the Communication Department at a college and teach English.
A great day means that I get to help students from all over the world at the most diverse community college in the nation, where those I work with are from over 160 different countries. A great day means that I contributed to the fires of hope and learning being ignited in a first generation college-goer, in a refugee from a war-torn area, or in a smart, but special student with disabilities.
Here's the first step for college students
Coming from another country, even a highly developed country with a great education system, I found it very hard to get a job initially. The degree certainly opens doors, but the degree is only half the story; part of my job is hiring others, and sometimes I get 300 resumes for one position. It is not the person with a degree from Harvard, but the person who has skills that match what is needed who gets the job!
"You are too dumb to finish Middle and High School. You should go to an easier school. You cannot do this."