RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥撀� Nikita Fisenko was 10 years old when he came to the United States with his family from Uzbekistan.

鈥淎t the age of 7, in a family of seven kids, my father passed away of cancer,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was really hard. My father was our only support.鈥�

Because his grandmother lived in the United States, the family was able to apply for residency. After a several-year grueling application process and after selling everything they owned, Fisenko and his family found their new home in eastern Washington. At the time, Fisenko had four English phrases to his memory.

鈥淵es, no, thank you and hot tea,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was cold when we came and asked for Chai and learned that in English, it was hot tea.鈥�

Fisenko spent several years playing catch-up with his English and studying hard to learn school subjects in a language not his own, but one thing always served as an encouragement: one-day he would use his own experiences in overcoming hardships to help others. Little did he know that his ideal career would be in the medical field and that Washington State University Tri-Cities would help take him places that would allow him to help those less fortunate.

鈥淚鈥檓 using my education and experiences at 黑料社 Tri-Cities to help others through my future career as a nurse,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to know that I can have that personal impact.鈥�

Realizing his medical passion

Fisenko studied diligently in Spanish because he thought that one-day he could use the language in a career as a Christian missionary, which had always been a passion of his. He used his experience in high school working in the fruit fields and factories to chat in Spanish with his fellow employees that, in combination with his Spanish courses, allowed him to become nearly fluent in the language.

He also excelled in mathematics 鈥� it was the one subject that didn鈥檛 require a mastery of the English language.

As his schooling rolled on, however, Fisenko developed an interest in the medical field, which led him to enroll in the Tri-Tech Skills Center鈥檚 pre-nursing program. He wanted to see if the medical route would be right for him. It turned out to be a perfect fit, as it would still allow him to use his fluency in Spanish to help others.

鈥淚鈥檓 a people person, and nursing allows you to work with people to help them overcome their medical ailments and really have an impact,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith my background in Spanish, I could also use that to reduce barriers for others who originally like me, don鈥檛 speak English.鈥�

He chose 黑料社 Tri-Cities to prepare him for his future career as a nurse because it would allow him to live at home and help his family with expenses, but also receive a first-class education.

鈥満诹仙� Tri-Cities ended up being the perfect fit for where I鈥檓 at in my life, what I want to accomplish and the people I hope to help,鈥� he said.

Around the world in the medical field

At 黑料社 Tri-Cities, Fisenko takes his studies very seriously. The 4.0 student said he aims to learn everything he can so that he can be the best nurse he can be.

鈥淚 want to be a nurse that actually changes things 鈥� I want to make a difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I can鈥檛 just memorize the material for the sake of doing well on tests. I have to really know the material because I鈥檓 going to apply it to my career as a nurse where I can have a real impact on people.鈥�

Fisenko said he had always wanted to travel to a country where Spanish was the primary language so that he could further develop his skills in the language that would allow him to help others. He decided to take as many courses as he could his first couple of years at 黑料社 so that before he certified into the nursing program, he could do a semester study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country.

After speaking with a 黑料社 study abroad advisor and after extensive research, he decided on a medical-based program in Costa Rica, where he would study medical Spanish and health sciences. He completed the program this fall.

During his program in Costa Rica, he made sure to interact extensively with the local population and traveled to neighboring countries. He traveled to Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua, in addition to spending his weekends traveling the Costa Rican countryside.

The experience, he said, was life-changing.

鈥淭he biggest thing I would say in going to study abroad was that it shaped my mindset and my perspective,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nderstanding other cultures and people, it can open so many more doors to your future. Through this experience, I developed my communication skills and I was able to better understand other people鈥檚 perspectives and ways of doing things.鈥�

Future in the medical field

Fisenko is now working his way through his first year in the 黑料社 nursing program, which he said is preparing him for the rigor of being a nurse.

鈥淭he nursing program at 黑料社 is a challenging program, but it is a challenge that pushes you forward,鈥� he said.

Fisenko said he hopes to use his experiences, ranging from his difficulties in migrating to the United States, to learning English and Spanish, to the challenging nursing program at 黑料社, to his experiences abroad, to one-day help individuals at Kadlec Regional Medical Center as a future nurse. Kadlec, he said, has been his dream employer for years.

鈥淕od-willing, I will be there helping, advising and speaking Spanish to help those with medical issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to really make a difference. God has blessed me and shaped me into who I am, so I want to use that to bless others.鈥�

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Washington State University Tri-Cities will honor its international students, faculty and staff members with a new international flag installation and celebration that will take place at 1:15 p.m. on Monday in the Floyd Atrium on campus.

There will be an initial total of 32 flags represented of the known 32 countries of current international students, faculty and staff that will be hung as part of the installation. Members of the public are welcome to attend the celebration.

鈥淭hese flags are displayed in a prominent place in recognition of faculty, staff and students who have come to our campus from countries around the world and of their diverse backgrounds and experience strengthen the campus,鈥� said Jana Kay, campus registrar.

As part of a brief celebration for installation, the campus community will hear from Kate McAteer, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs, Israa Alshaikhli, president of the Associated Students of Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Yuna Okamoto, a student in the Intensive American Language Center, on the importance and impact of having the installation on campus.

If there are flags not represented of current campus community members鈥� home countries, those individuals are encouraged to contact Erika Kraus, 黑料社 Tri-Cities international student coordinator, at erika.kraus@wsu.edu. Additional flags will be installed as they are identified.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

Paul Skilton is the first professor from Washington State University Tri-Cities to participate in a teaching abroad experience with a prestigious business school in Brig, Switzerland.

黑料社 with the in Switzerland to offer a dual degree program in hospitality business where students receive a degree from both C茅sar Ritz and 黑料社 upon completion of the program. Through the years, professors from 黑料社 have rotated to teach at the Swiss institution each semester. Since the hospitality business management program is fairly new to 黑料社 Tri-Cities, the opportunity was not available for Tri-Cities professors until this year. The hospitality business management program began at 黑料社 Tri-Cities in 2015.

C茅sar Ritz is a renowned school in the hospitality business management sector, ranking 24^th in the world for hospitality and hotel management schools in 2016-16 by and falling closely behind 黑料社, who ranked 21^st in the world the same year by the publication.

鈥淐茅sar Ritz prepares students who want to go into the hotel industry and all the fields that encompass that industry, from hospitality to restaurant and food service,鈥� Skilton said. 鈥淪tudents from all over the world come to this school to study. The 黑料社 Carson College of Business sends one faculty member each semester. I鈥檓 going this fall and Dr. Donna Paul will go in the spring.鈥�

Skilton said the experience benefits both students abroad and students from 黑料社, in addition to allowing 黑料社 professors to establish international connections with students and faculty from all over the world. 黑料社 students, he said, may choose to study abroad for a semester at the Swiss school, broadening their scope of the hospitality industry and giving them that international experience that is crucial to their credentials in the field. The experience also opens doors for students overseas to come and study on campus at 黑料社, in addition to their experience on campus in Switzerland.

鈥淭he idea is that students will get a look at international contexts, contacts and points of view within the hospitality business world,鈥� Skilton said. 鈥淚f you are going to go into the hospitality business sector, you should be able to understand people who are different from you so that you can accommodate them accordingly. That international experience is very important.鈥�

This semester, Skilton will teach a course focusing on management of innovation and change, as well as a principles of management course. He said he is most excited about learning as much from the faculty and students at the school as he is able to teach them.

鈥淭he faculty at C茅sar Ritz have a very different mindset,鈥� Skilton said. 鈥満诹仙� is a research-based school whereas the faculty at C茅sar Ritz mostly consist of hotel professionals. It鈥檚 also a European college, so it鈥檚 going to be very different. I鈥檓 excited to learn about how they structure their programs and I hope they鈥檒l teach me as much as I am able to teach them.鈥�

Skilton leaves for Switzerland this month and will begin teaching at C茅sar Ritz in early October. He will return to 黑料社 Tri-Cities in time for the spring semester this academic year.

The partnership program is one of 黑料社 Carson College of Business鈥� longest-standing global partnerships and is in line with 黑料社鈥檚 .

For more information about the program and how 黑料社 students can spend a semester abroad at with Cesar Ritz, visit .