“Sometimes, now, I even dream in English,” says Gabriela Torres, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who spoke no English at all until she was sixteen years old.

“My desire to learn to speak English was the whole reason I came to the U.S.,” says the Dalton State College junior, who expects to graduate with a B.S. in Management Information Systems (MIS) in the summer of 2007.

Fluency in English is important to Gabriela for many reasons, not the least of which is her desire to have a career that will “translate” into multiple languages.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to have a career, but in my hometown, very few go to college. There were only four or five of us who have pursued higher education.”

The 22-year-old initially moved to Wyoming as an exchange student during her junior year of high school. She finished her senior year in Colorado, and then moved to Dalton to live with her paternal grandparents. Her mom and dad, both educators, still live in the small village in northern Mexico where Gabriela and her brother grew up.

 “My mom is a principal and my father teaches math to students in the elementary school, as well as the middle school,” says Gabriela, noting that her parents always encouraged her to read extensively and to be geared toward pursuing her education.

As a self-proclaimed “math and science-oriented student,” Gabriela likes the rigor of the MIS degree, which emphasizes computer skills.

Her experience at Dalton State has been a positive one, says Gabriela, an honor student who maintains a 3.92 grade point average and who works as a student worker for the Division of Business Administration.

“Even though Dalton State is small, it provides good academic programs, and it’s easy to have close relationships with your professors here.”

Last summer, Gabriela took advantage of an opportunity offered through the College to study abroad in London, taking classes in Art Appreciation and British Literature.

“It was awesome,” she recalls. “I found that the business environment was pretty much the same in England as it is here. It’s amazing that once you learn English you can communicate anywhere.”

While she was in England, she was able to travel to Ireland, Scotland and France. “During the trip, I became more independent, and I learned that I could go anywhere and I’d be okay. I also realized that knowing English helped me a great deal, as everyone seemed to know the language.

“And when I was in France, I decided that I wanted to learn French, so I’ve signed up for French II, and I plan to study abroad next summer in France.”

When she graduates, Gabriela plans to begin a career in computer programming, and expects to earn a master’s degree in the future, perhaps even a Ph.D.

Further down the road, she plans to return to her native Mexico, where she will continue her business career, do missionary work, and perhaps even teach.

“If I teach, it will probably be in Mexico, most likely on the college level,” she says.