Alumni Spotlight
Ville Wuorenjuuri, moving ahead
Ville Wuorenjuuri moved nearly 4,000 miles to come to SMCC from his homeland of Finland. He’s now continuing his education and his basketball career at a four-year college in Virginia.
Ville wanted to pursue a business degree in the United States after graduating high school in Finland, and he chose SMCC as his starting point. While at SMCC, he majored in business while playing on the basketball and golf teams.
Lured by both sports and academic scholarships, Ville transferred this year to Bluefield College. There, he’s studying business and continuing his basketball career.
When he’s done with his bachelor’s degree, he plans to earn a master’s in business administration in Finland or, if the opportunity arises, play basketball professionally.
“I can’t highlight enough how important my time at SMCC was for me to allow me to continue studying and playing basketball at a four-year college.”
Student Spotlight
Jeanine Uwase, Rwanda to Maine
Jeanine Uwase attended college in Rwanda before moving to the U.S. to escape the strife in her homeland. Today, she is one of more than two dozen SMCC students who come from the central African nation.
Jeanine move to the Portland area in 2014 to live with her uncle’s family, and came to SMCC this fall through the MySuccess program. She’s studying Human Services because she wants to help people and give back to the community.
When she’s not in class, she works at the Preble Street Teen Center in Portland, volunteers for SMCC’s Captain’s Cupboard food pantry and serves as a student representative on the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
When she attended the University of Rwanda, Jeanine studied physiotherapy. She now knows that Human Services is her calling.
”I think this is where I want to be. This is what I want to do.”