For international student, CSUB 'feels like a home'

Dominican Republic native Solmilena Herrera graduating with MPA this month

By California State University, Bakersfield

December 4^th, 2023

Starting college can be daunting for many students, especially for those who are also adjusting to living in a new country and learning a new language.

That was the case for California State University, Bakersfield student and Dominican Republic native Solmilena Herrera. She first came to the U.S. in 2018 to begin her higher education journey after receiving an athletics scholarship. She was just 18 years old at the time.

“It was hard coming here. It was a lot of change, and I was on my own,” she said. “The language, making friends, all of that — it was a lot.”

Now Herrera is about to graduate from CSUB later this month with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. She received her bachelor’s in liberal studies last year.

“I’m so excited that I’m graduating and that my mom is coming to commencement,” she said.

Herrera’s family still lives in the Dominican Republic. She only gets the opportunity to visit them once or twice a year.

Herrera first lived in Texas, where she attended Trinity Valley Community College and played women’s basketball. After obtaining her associates and getting adjusted to living in the U.S., she felt she was ready to take the next step.

She decided to apply to CSUB after learning about the school from her coach, who knows some of the women’s basketball coaches at the university.

Herrera was accepted by CSUB on an athletics scholarship and began attending classes in 2020. She struggled with her classes at first, especially because of the shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually grew to enjoy her experience at the university.

“I was an international student who needed a lot of help,” she said. “The tutoring center and writing center helped me a lot, and the people are great.”

Herrera also loved playing forward center on the women’s basketball team as an undergraduate and especially appreciated the people that surrounded her.

“The experience on the team was great,” she said. “It was hard at first, because I had to get used to the different ways that they manage the program here, but I enjoyed being around my teammates.”

Women’s basketball Head Coach Greg McCall said Herrera had a significant impact on the team, both on and off the court.

“She was a great ambassador for the team and was one of our most inspirational players,” he said. “She was a great leader and played extremely hard. She represented the school well.”

While she is no longer on the team, McCall said Herrera has remained involved and will often come by to talk to players and help them in any way she can.

“She’s a good role model for the other students,” he said. “When she sets her mind to something, she does it. Now she’s graduating with her master’s. She’s done everything she needed to do to live her lifelong dreams.”

Bringing a 'unique perspective'

As Herrera was finishing the requirements for her bachelor’s, she realized she didn’t want to stop there. She decided she would apply for graduate school at CSUB, although she wasn’t sure at first what she wanted to specialize in.

“I started my master’s without thinking exactly what I wanted to do. I just knew I wanted to get a master’s in administration,” Herrera said.

While she said she had a difficult time at first getting used to the rigorous learning requirements, Herrera has enjoyed her time in the MPA program.

“There are a lot of policies and practices you have to learn,” she said. “It was a little hard at first, but it’s been good.”

Herrera said one of the professors that helped her succeed in the program is Public Administration Lecturer Fred Plane, who taught her Introduction to Public Administration course.

“Somi was not only a good student, but she has such a pleasant personality and always seems to be smiling!” he said. “Being an international student, Somi was also able to bring her unique perspective from her home in the Dominican Republic to classroom discussions. I know she will be a success in the future.”

Herrera is now in a position where she can help other students. To meet the internship requirement for the MPA program, she has been working as a student assistant for the Center for Special Admission and International Affairs on campus since June.

While she spends much of her time handling administrative duties such as answering phones and responding to emails, Herrera does sometimes get to work directly with international students such as herself, which she said has been one of the highlights of the position.

“If they walk in and they have questions, I can help them,” she said. “It feels great helping other students. It’s good to know I’m helping somebody and using what I’ve learned. It makes me feel useful.”

Herrera hopes to continue that kind of work after getting her degree. She wants to pursue a career in human resources and have the opportunity to help “people who are working and don’t know what’s available to them.”

While leaving CSUB is bittersweet for Herrera, she said she is thankful to the university for welcoming and supporting her as an international student as well as for helping prepare her for whatever the future may bring.