Getting Her MBA a World
Away: Theres Rungenhagen Perhaps Theres Rungenhagen’s
wanderlust can be attributed to the fact that she was born in Berlin on November 24, 1989 – just 14 days after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Having never known a world that wasn’t wide open to her and eager to improve her English-language
skills, Theres struck out for the United States at 18, a journey that brought her to Michigan and, eventually, to EMU. Less than a decade later, she has virtually lost her accent – an observation she answers with “Yay!” – has completed her undergraduate degree, and is in the last few months of her MBA studies. It’s quite a résumé for a young woman who arrived in the U.S. to work as an au pair and planned to stay only a year. “I found Eastern,
and I wanted to do hotel and restaurant management,” she explains. “In Germany, the field is not that established yet, as a degree; it’s offered more at private schools that aren’t accredited.” When she discovered she could
pursue her interest at Eastern, Theres completed her general education requirements at Schoolcraft College then transferred to EMU. “I like the Eastern community; it’s very diverse,” she says.
“I work as a graduate assistant in the Office for International Students so I meet international students every day, and it’s really nice to learn not just about American culture, but about lots of other cultures, too. Germany and the U.S. are similar, but the Chinese, Indian and Saudi Arabian cultures are completely different.” Despite the similarities, Theres had to adjust to U.S. culture;
she recounts those adjustments with lots of laughter. “It’s superficial, in a way,” she explains. “At first, when somebody told me, ‘Let’s meet up!’ I assumed we were really
going to meet up. So I was waiting for a call or a text.” It was a little discouraging, she says, and at first she couldn’t
help taking it personally. “But it’s just such a busy life here in the U.S., and I just had to
get used to that,” she says. “Now I’m kind of in that place, too.” Another foreign concept: free refills. “I had no idea what that meant,” she says with a laugh. “We
don’t do free refills.” Drive-up convenience was also a surprise. “Everything in the U.S. is so convenient,” Theres says. “You can drive up to anything pretty much, and not have to get out of the car.”
Superstores that are open 24 hours and businesses being open on Sunday also make the list. In the classroom, Theres appreciates the relaxed atmosphere, and says professors are more approachable than they are back home. “They’re very
interested in who we are, and who we want to become,” she says. “I enjoy that.” Less enjoyable was the
homesickness brought on by her first hectic American Christmas, and the lack of friendships with American
students early on. Theres says that because of their common experience
of coming to the U.S., international students often stick together, but that becoming an insular
group defeats the purpose of studying abroad. “I think the best way to really get involved is to get a job on
campus, and get involved in campus life activities. It’s so helpful, and it’s really great that Eastern provides that,” she says. “You can break away from your international group.” For Theres, football games and Student Center activities,
like movies and the President’s Lunch, are fun pastimes and opportunities to become more a part of the student body. She also wants American students to know they’re welcome at events sponsored by the Office for International Students, noting that foreign students are eager to meet their American counterparts, if a bit nervous about it, and to share their cultures.
28 Eastern | WINTER 2016
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