With the help of a Peace Corp volunteer, Maxwell Danlogo came to the United States from Ghana to study at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon. Now, the Ghanaian has chosen a major that too will allow him to be of help to others. “ I came to EOU (Eastern Oregon University) because of the help that my friend gave me he was a Peace Corp volunteer and he came to teach at one of the senior high schools where I was a student,” he says.
“So we got to know each other then he returned to America and he decided to help me to come to the United States. I’m studying Nursing and I realized that nursing would probably be the best major that I can use to help others and myself. I have had an opportunity to get into the U-S and study and I don’t want to look at a major that would have me look at just myself and not others,” he says.
“So with this field in mind and knowing that others would probably be needing my help and seeing that many of the health workers in my country are kind of running away and so the numbers keep reducing, I felt like I have to work in the health sector and that is why I decided to go into Nursing.”
This is Maxwell's second year and although he went to a teacher's college back home before coming here he says the university itself is an ideal place for him. “ The university is pretty good. I very much like the weather and the environment. The environment is conducive for studying. It is pretty and it is all green everywhere. There are trees and you can sit anywhere and study. The library is okay. The professors are all very nice towards the students. While I can’t speak for them, but for myself since I have been here I haven’t had any problems with any professors and they all are very supportive,” he says.
“Anytime I need the support they encourage me with my studies and all that I am doing to help me get through my course. So that is really something good and I really think and I really need it to help me studying Nursing which is what I am doing.”
So, what keeps him busy when he is not studying.... “I work in the IT department helping and fixing people’s computers. I do a lot of things with broken computers so that is mostly the main thing that I do, but then I do involve myself with other activities I’m involved with the international student association which involve a lot of activities and I usually participate in that each year. I do like to play soccer a lot. We have a men’s soccer club so I also involve myself with that,” he says. That is mostly the main thing that I do working and then playing soccer with the team.”
Maxwell has a few more years till graduation. Until then he plans to continue pursuing his Nursing degree so he will one day be able to go home and work with other healthcare people in his country. “Hopefully, I will be graduating in 2011 and I applied to get into a Nursing program this year, so if I am picked then I will go into the second year with the course and then by 2011 I should graduate,” he says.
After graduation I see myself working at home because I really have that kind of passion and intention of going home to help the people back home especially the people from my side of Ghana. The conditions there are not really good for us over there and there aren’t a lot of qualified health workers so I really want to go back home and work over there so that is what I am thinking of doing after graduating.”
