Mission Milestones & Highlights— Franklin Collado: Education and Opportunity for Spanish Speakers


	ranklin Collado isa vice consul for the DominicanRepublic in NewYork City, a job he has held forfive years. Born and raised inSanto Domingo, the country’scapital, he has lived in the UnitedStates for 22 years. Colladoreceived his bachelor’s degree inindividualized studies throughthe Puerta al Futuro (Gatewayto the Future) program in May2009 and plans to complete amaster of administrative science(MAS) degree with a concentrationin diplomacy. Collado’swife, Marina, a Latino transitionspecialist for Puerta, teachesin FDU’s MAS program. Thecouple has three sons, one ofthem a student at FDU. Why did you enroll in Puerta al Futuro? My wife was working in continuing education at Fairleigh Dickinson, and she told me about Puerta al Futuro. I sat down with Dr. Alonso [Fernando Alonso, senior lecturer, business, and director of Puerta al Futuro], who explained how it worked, and I was very interested. I have a bachelor’s from the Dominican Republic, and if you have a degree from your country, they will validate up to 90 credits. I decided to go ahead and get a master’s degree at the same time. What advantage does Puerta al Futuro offer to students from Latin America? In the ESL program, you take English classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for free. Not only that, you can have tutoring from the University on pronunciation, grammar and writing. So Puerta is giving me and other Latin-American students the opportunity to learn English, and that’s very important for our careers. For most of us, the barrier we have is the language. Classes are bilingual [at first], so you don’t frustrate yourself. When classes are in English, it pushes you to work harder, but all the teachers speak English and Spanish, so if you don’t understand, they explain in your language. Why is an American college degree important? I’m going for a master’s degree with a concentration in diplomacy because of my career. Studying at Fairleigh Dickinson fits me very well, and gives me an opportunity to get additional certificates in human resources and Latin-American studies. I see my future here [in the United States], although I have never given up on my dream to return to the Dominican Republic someday. What’s it like to be a student while working full time and raising a family? It’s really hard, but I know it’s a sacrifice I have to make. Sometimes my family wants to go out and spend time with me, but I can’t because I have to go to the consulate or go to school. Right now, I’m taking a class at the consulate where I work; Puerta was already offered at other consulates, and this is the first time classes have been offered at the Dominican consulate in New York City. Do you have a favorite class or professor? My favorite classes are in Latin-American history. I’m taking one right now on Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico with Professor Alonso. He touches on different aspects of the situation from the past, the Federalist influence, the 19th century and so on. How has Puerta al Futuro affected your life? It has changed my life a lot. Now, when I’m working on my laptop and doing homework, I realize the progress I’ve made as a student. I feel very satisfied that I found the Puerta program. And it’s not just me: There are so many other students in the Puerta program — from Colombia and other countries — who are also proud to be a part of it. I’ve already brought in two vice consuls to take classes. I’m part of a team that is creating a student association to welcome new Puerta students and give them an orientation. Opening doors for others gives me a lot of satisfaction. top of page \| next … Puerta al Futuro Academics \| Fulbright Program \| Nursing Student Profile FDU-Vancouver \| Wroxton College \| Online Learning \| FDU and the U.N. Global and Florham Scholars \| Study Abroad

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