PROFILES IN DIVERSITY: Ayleen Pittar
Four years ago Ayleen Pittar left her home country of Peru to move to America and live with a father she hardly knew. The reason for this change was so the studious and hardworking Pittar could find a better life for herself.
It didn鈥檛 feel like a better life, however 鈥 at least not at first. Pittar didn鈥檛 speak any English and had to use Google Translate for every word of her high school ESL reading assignments. Her academic frustration was intensified further by acute homesickness and the lingering bitterness of having to abandon her position on Peru鈥檚 Junior National Volleyball Team.
The upheaval, culture shock, and alienation were almost too much for her to bear.
After about a month, however, Pittar鈥檚 characteristic resolve kicked in. 鈥淚鈥檓 here,鈥 she thought, 鈥渟o I might as well get the most out of it.鈥
That she did. Now an NJCU sophomore with a double major in Chemistry and Biology, she has a near fluent command of the English language and her impressive work ethic extends well beyond her classroom assignments; she is a fixture at NJCU from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., working at a variety of campus jobs. She is a math tutor; student ambassador; assistant to the dean of Arts and Sciences; and a lab assistant, helping professors set up for their chemistry classes.
NJCU also reacquainted Pittar with her love of volleyball. She joined the team midway through her freshman year. 鈥淪he is skilled, hardworking, and selfless,鈥 notes Coach Robert Cole, 鈥渂oth on and off the court.鈥 Now that the fall volleyball season (and its rigorous schedule) is over, Pittar is committed to looking for even more work to help her family with the bills. As if that weren鈥檛 enough, she鈥檚 also considering a volunteer position at the Hoboken EMS squad.
Pittar hasn鈥檛 visited Peru since arriving in the U.S. She doesn鈥檛 have time. Instead, she uses her summer vacations to strengthen her medical research knowledge, getting accepted into programs and workshops at Rutgers and NJIT. She was also chosen for the prestigious Hispanic Center of Excellence Summer Youth Scholars Program (SYSP).
鈥淪o school never really ends for me,鈥 she says.
It鈥檚 an exhausting life, but one with clear goals: after NJCU, Pittar plans to go to medical school and pursue a career as a neurosurgeon. To put it another way, Pittar came to this country to get a better life for herself 鈥 and that is precisely what she is doing.