Daily Egyptian Reporter 20

When Ruth Saborio stepped off the plane at the Williamson County Airport in December 1995, she was greeted by bitter, stinging cold and sheets of falling snow, giving her an urge to turn around and return to her home in Honduras.

It was sad, she said. At home it was warm and sunny. I was at the beach and in shorts. When I got here it was snowy; everything was white. There were no leaves on the trees. It was a little depressing, but it was so new.

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Saborio, a junior in finance, was born and raised in Honduras after her family fled Nicaragua in 1979 under political exile. Most of her extended family fled to the United States, but her immediate family stayed in Honduras.

Saborio came to SIUC because her grandparents lived in the area.

I had the opportunity to live at home (with my family), but not live at home [in Honduras], she said. I came to the United States to get a better education, and there are more opportunities here than offered back home.

Saborio is a member of the Hispanic Student Council, and she represents international students at SIUC as the internal vice president of the International Student Council.

Life was running smoothly for Saborio in her new environment, but at times she found herself feeling lonely and missing her friends from Honduras. Her grandmother encouraged her to return home this past summer.

While she was gone, her grandmother died.

My grandmother was always looking out for me, she said. It made me stronger, and I realized that life isn’t always pink. Now I am experiencing living with my grandfather.

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Saborio lives in Murphysboro with her grandfather and said that not living in the dorms has made it hard for her to meet people.

I spent a lot of time at the Student Center, she said. That’s how I got involved in the international community.

Saborio’s tendency to wear black a lot does not fit her cheerful personality.

I’m a very happy person, she said. I really don’t like to see people around me suffer. I smile a lot. I’m going to get premature wrinkles.

Spending most of the day at the Student Center, Saborio can be found chuckling in the Roman Room with her friends, or in the ISC office working hard.

I spend my days here, she said, sipping on coffee. It’s a very good way to meet people, but it’s costly. I’m broke, but I am always accepting donations.

Despite some time consuming extracurricular activities, Saborio still maintains a 4.0 grade point average.

Because of her success in maintaining good grades, Saborio has been awarded two scholarships and has an invitation to the Golden Key Honor Society. After graduation, Saborio plans to either earn her master’s degree in business administration or return to Honduras to work in her field.

Wan Kamal Wan Napi, president of ISC and a graduate student in political science from Malaysia, often works with Saborio on ISC business.

She is very dedicated to her job, he said. She always wants to learn new things and is very confident in her job.

Saborio’s duties as internal vice president include serving as a representative for ISC and for the ISC soccer tournament. The soccer tournament is considered the highlight of the year for many international students.

Saborio discusses rules, guidelines and signs and approves official rulings, along with facing sexist stereotypes.

It’s a challenge, she said. There are a lot of things to overcome from the beginning since (the position has) always been held by a man.

ISC has to make decisions that aren’t very popular when people aren’t following the rules. That’s the biggest challenge.

Wan Napi said Saborio is doing a good job, given the stressful situation of the soccer tournament.

Automatically, it’s a test for her, he said. It is a very controversial position. It shows her leadership skills. After being vice president, she’ll have a lot more experience.

In the past two years, Saborio has heard from her friends how much she has changed.

Now, people tell me that I was extremely tense, and I sat up so straight (when I first came here), she said Everything is so different. I’m very adjusted to Carbondale and my daily activities. I built my life here.