Hear From Our Graduates
Testimonials from Green River College international students who have transferred to top universities.
Testimonials by Year
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Abigael Lueta Amelia
Indonesia
UC Berkeley
Also Admitted to: University of California Los Angeles, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Applied Mathematics
"Green River College has facilitated me in exploring my interests and succeeding in my studies, and it was a community that made me feel genuinely welcome. Through tremendous support from faculty and staff, I have been able to transition well from online to face-to-face learning, especially in the challenging classes, and in navigating through campus life as an international student. The number of opportunities offered here in organization, capacity building, etc. that I have been able to partake in have also helped me strengthen my knowledge and various skills, particularly by becoming the student body Chief Justice, a Math and Economics tutor, and a leader in Phi Theta Kappa and the Asian Student Union. The knowledge, experiences, and relationships that I have developed throughout my time in Green River College became building blocks for me to get into top universities. Entering Green River College is truly one of my best decisions! "
Chi Hsiang Tseng
Taiwan
Purdue University
Also Admitted to: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach-Aerospace and
Occupational Safety, University of North Dakota-Aviation Safety & Operations.
Major: Airline Management and Operations
"I can confidently claim that Green River College is the place where my dream was realized. I never thought I would have the opportunity to apply before I started college or that I would eventually be accepted to these exclusive universities. I have witnessed these distinguished graduates' achievements while attending Green River, and I aspired to someday join them. The Green River College's staff and instructors were instrumental in helping me achieve my goal today. "
Emmanuel Mordi
Nigeria
University of Washington - Seattle
Also Admitted to: University of British Columbia, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Riverside,
Rutgers University, Stony Brook University
Major: Computer Engineering
"Attending Green River College was one of the best decisions I've made. GRC provided me with more opportunities than I had coming out of high school and the community is unlike any other. I've crossed paths with students from various backgrounds and it has provided me with a unique perspective that positively impacted my educational journey. At GRC I have become more well-balanced due to the many clubs and activities provided by the school. By becoming a Resident Assistant (RA) and being involved with ASGRC, Peer Mentor, and PTK, I have been able to acquire the knowledge and understanding to become more equipped as a leader in my community. Green River College paves a clear path and provides the necessary tools for each student to succeed."
Hsin-Ni Lee
Taiwan
University of Washington - Seattle - School of Nursing
Also Admitted to: Seattle University, Pacific Lutheran Univerisity
Major: Nursing
"Green River College is a place that helped me achieve personal growth and academic success. Thanks to the dedicated staff, tutoring resources, various clubs, campus activities, and volunteer opportunities available at Green River College, I was able to get the most out of my college experience. The diverse and friendly environment made me feel welcomed as an international student. I was able to connect with people from different countries and learn about their cultures. I am especially grateful for having a supportive, informational, and understanding advisor throughout my time at Green River College. He continued to assist me after my graduation during my OPT by answering my questions about transferring and reviewing my personal statements. Doing my OPT allowed me to become a competitive candidate that got me into my desired university. I might not have chosen to apply for OPT without the encouragement of my advisor."
Irene Vanessa Widiaman
Indonesia
UC Berkeley
Also Admitted to: UCLA, UC Irvine, University of Washington, UIUC
Major: Data Science
"Coming to Green River was not an easy choice for me, especially in the midst of a global pandemic and uncertainty of the future. But the time I spent here proved to me that I made the right choice. Starting with GRC's International Programs that helps you reach your goals, and the supportive staff members that are always ready to help, GRC became the platform for me to obtain self-growth and become the best version of myself. At GRC, there are countless opportunities that the students can utilize. I was able to work three jobs, be an officer in various different clubs and organizations, do community work to serve people, and get involved in the student senate. Through all these involvements, I could strengthen my leadership skills and understand my potential, making me believe in myself that I could go anywhere I want and even realize my dream to go to UC Berkeley. I was only able to spend six months at GRC due to COVID-19, but I will always remember and cherish the time I spent here— especially the amazing peers I met along the way."
Justin Kim
South Korea
Columbia University
Also Admitted to: Boston University
Major: International Relations and Affairs
"Attending Green River College has been a genuine pleasure and honor for me, and it was one of the most worthwhile opportunities in my life. This is because my life has entirely changed after I made the decision to come to GRC. To come to the point, I could not only concentrate on my coursework every quarter, thanks to the outstanding professors and advisors but also socialize with various people from other countries by participating in clubs and activities. Notwithstanding, studying abroad for the first time was not easy; maximizing my English skills was my first priority. I oftentimes found myself struggling in adapting to an unfamiliar environment, but communication with the faculty I met meanwhile truly helped me learn how to improve my analytical and technical English skills and the core of solid patience as well. I strongly believe Green River College has a systematic curriculum and practical information for transferring to prestigious universities as well as learning about helpful abilities, such as leadership and communication skills."
Jordy Keurntjes
The Netherlands
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Major: Aeronautical Science
"Thanks to Green River College, my success in my studies and the exploration of my interest in aviation have both been made possible. This with a mixture of the great faculty that help you day-in-day-out made this transition of studying abroad for the first time amazing. Furthermore, being part of the Green River family and the Phi Theta Kappa honor society really helped me make my decision to stay longer in the United States and transfer to a university. Green River College really helped me with getting contacts with the right people at my now new university, Embry-Riddle, as well as giving guidance on how to apply and which classes to take that would transfer. The advisors that are working here really helped me and other international students to get to their full potential. My time here at this school was also very fun and I will always be thankful for this experience of a lifetime."
Simon K. Njoroge
Kenya
University of Washington - Tacoma
Also Admitted to: University of Washington-Seattle, Central Washington University
(CWU)
Major: Mechanical Engineering
"Green River College has aided me in making the greatest leap of my life, transferring to UW-Tacoma. I'm certain the most stressful time for students on a transfer track is working on their university applications. The main question on each student's mind is always, “How do I stand out against thousands of other applicants? Green River as a college is aware of the struggle faced by students, especially students whose main language is not English. To face this challenge, the Writing Center is free for all students, students can have their personal statements peer-reviewed. The advising team is all ears, to listen and guide students. GRC has a well-diversified transfer agreement with a majority of universities, this eases the stress on students. GRC has developed me in ways I couldn't imagine. I not only graduated with honors but also was awarded the International Student Award, the leadership and Services awards, thank you Green River College."
Vattanary Tevy
Cambodia
University of Washington, Seattle
Major: Mechanical Engineering
"With the countless opportunities offered at Green River College and the amazing support from faculty, staff, and fellow peers from diverse backgrounds, I am honored to serve the campus. From being a leader for clubs, working on campus at the student life office, and joining the Global Leadership Program, as well as many events, I learned not just how to be a better individual, but also how to be a better leader, friend, and community member. I also learned how to have better management skills between classes and responsibilities which greatly benefits my future. These holistic skills are likely the reason why I am a good transfer applicant for UW. Nevertheless, I will always be thankful for my time at Green River College. Go Gators!"
Vebjorn Hagberg Sveum
Norway
Arizona State University
Major: Business
"I believe that Green River College gave me an amazing opportunity to achieve the goals I set for myself. The classes and the advising are top-class. The class sizes are usually smaller, which helps the student get more hands-on education with the teacher. It is almost the same with the advisors, I felt that if there was anything I needed help with, my advisor was always there for me and helped me reach my goals faster because of their knowledge. In addition to the faculty, there is a lot of room for studying, whether you want to study on your own or in a public space with friends like the library. In the library, there is also a lot of help (tutoring center) if you really want to succeed, just like the teaching and advising faculty, their knowledge and helpfulness exceed expectations. To summarize, the faculty and the facilities are what I believe helped me massively towards achieving my goals in higher education. There is a lot more I could say about this magnificent college, but one of the best things about it is that there are so many different opportunities and pathway universities to choose from. From Green River College, you can literally go anywhere, and I am looking forward to going on to Arizona State University. Go Gators!"
Zohar (Truong) Le
Vietnam
University of Washington - Seattle - Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and
Engineering
Also Admitted to: University of California Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology,
University of Illinois at Urbana - Champagne, University of Minnesota.
Major: Computer Science
"Green River College is where I made my dream come true. I never thought of being admitted to (or even applying for) these prestigious and highly competitive schools when I first started my college journey. However, after witnessing the testimonials and hearing advice from our alumni who went to top universities, I started to believe in myself and how Green River could support me. I would say the most impactful factor that helped me get into top universities is the countless opportunities to get involved on campus. During the pandemic, although we had to switch everything to an online format, there were still many ways I could get involved. I was a math tutor, IT student helpdesk, Peer Mentor, and Welcome Crew. I was also an officer for the FISH club and joined many different clubs. Besides maintaining a perfect GPA, I think my essay is what made me stand out among the top candidates. I also truly thank people who spent time reading my personal statements (Kerry Kwon, Melanie Kaneshiro, drop-in advisors, and my friends) and gave me different perspectives about my essays. Not only was I able to show my leadership, skills, passion, and knowledge about the major, but also the hardships in my life, how I overcame them, and what I learned from them. I always tell myself not to be afraid of getting myself out of my comfort zone because 'the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.'"