Juliana Winterink Barbosa, from Brazil, is studying at the Santa Barbara City College in California.

My name is Juliana. I’m from São Paulo and I would like to share my story with you.

I started to study at Santa Barbara City College in the “Summer I” program of June 2017. At that time, I didn’t know exactly if I was going to take an undergraduate degree program, or if I would just be spending some time studying abroad. So, in the first semester, I chose some English classes and others that interested me, such as photography, art and film. In the second semester, I took some general classes which were required for graduation.

Then something I didn’t expect happened: I fell in love with the college. I fell in love with everything! With the classes and teachers, with the lifestyle, with the wonderful campus overlooking the beach and all that Santa Barbara had to offer, including sunshine all year long. And for those reasons, I decided to to get an associate’s degree (AA) there. I’m majoring in photography and marketing.

It’s been two years since I started at SBCC, and I now I only have one semester to finish for me to get my degree. After that, I may transfer to one of the University of California institutions since SBCC students have guaranteed admission to six of them, including UCSB and UC Irvine. With two additional years of study at a university, I can get my bachelor’s degree.

I’d like to stay longer in California and enjoy every minute of the wonderful opportunity of studying outside Brazil. I’ve made great friends here. The college has a lot of clubs, and this is a great opportunity to meet people. Some of the clubs I take part in are hiking, photography and the creative group. There is even a ping pong club! I’ve met people from all over the world and many Brazilians as well, which I loved. Being with them doesn’t make me feel so homesick, and we all help with other since we share the same problems and questions.

As a matter of fact, the Brazilian community in Santa Barbara is simply amazing! We are the largest group of international students at SBCC!

Don’t be afraid, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Step-by-step instructions to apply are on this link, and I can reassure you that the International Office is very helpful, and they will help with everything, just like they did to me!

I get tears in my eyes when I talk about my experience at SBCC. And here’s what I would like to tell you from the bottom of my heart: studying here will be the best experience of your life.