A Cultural Ambassador

Business major Sadia Ritu may still be in school, but she's already giving back to the community around her—by visiting Eugene-area schools and senior centers as a cultural ambassador through the University of Oregon's International Cultural Service Program and working at the UO's American English Institute helping international students like herself get oriented to campus life. Ritu left her home in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2009 to come to Bandon, Oregon, as a high-school exchange student. Soon after her arrival, she toured the University of Oregon campus and vowed to become a Duck. Thanks to a combination of her own persistence and timely help from friends and mentors she's met along the way, Ritu enrolled in the UO in 2011. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, Ritu stays plenty busy. She DJs at UO radio station KWVA, is a volunteer member recruiter at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and won a spot in the Lundquist College's prestigious University of Oregon Investment Group this fall. For four hours each week, she can also be found working behind the reception desk in the undergraduate advising office. When asked how she handles her jam-packed schedule, Ritu explained, "I think it's just loving what you do. I don't think of it as work." Sadia, we're glad to have you here.