November 17, 2020
Brazilian international student Bruno Rovares Schiefer has found his place at Shawnee State University as a member of the Men’s Soccer team and as part of the Business Management program. He chose to enroll at SSU after first attending a community college in Kansas City. The reputation of the Men’s Soccer team was something that interested him from the beginning.
“The Men’s Soccer team was the main reason I chose to transfer to Shawnee. They were going through a change and bringing in a lot of new international students,” he said.
Rovares Schiefer is a crucial part of the Men’s Soccer team. In the 2019 fall season, he started every game that he played in and scored four goals. Off the field, the senior also found success in his degree, choosing to enroll in the Business Management program.
“Business Management gives you a lot of different options – you can be an employee, but also be a business owner,” he said. “I am still figuring out what kind of business I want to start, but I am thinking about becoming a coach and starting a soccer school for kids. (Marketing faculty member) Jason Lovins is one of my favorite professors. His case studies are challenging and mimic real-world situations.”
His father’s own experience in the business world was an important inspiration for him to enroll in the Business Management program.
“My father told me that studying business gives a lot of opportunities and different directions that you can go into after college,” he said. “My father and grandfather had their own business, and it is something that I am interested in too. They didn’t have to follow anyone’s orders and had their own schedule. I like that freedom.”
On choosing to study abroad, Rovares Shiefer is happy that at SSU he has had the opportunity to meet new people and learn about a new culture.
“It’s a very unique experience,” he said. “I never thought I would meet this many new people and that it would feel like a second home. It is difficult to describe the experience that we go through as international students. You have to live it.”
Finding a balance between school and soccer has been a challenge, but through a lot of planning, the student-athlete has been able to make it work.
“If you want to be an all-A student, you have to put in a lot of work,” he said. “I think that time management is really important and that you need to make a schedule. I don’t have much difficulty making a schedule but keeping to it is the most difficult part.”
During his time at SSU, Rovares Shiefer has met a lot of people whom he considers family. Through SSU’s Center for International Programs & Study Abroad, he has been able to connect with many other international students as well as Program Director Ryan Warner.
“Ryan is someone that makes Shawnee special to me,” Rovares Schiefer said. “He takes care of the international students. He always checks in on us to make sure we are doing okay, and he organizes fun activities for us to do.”
For any student considering international studies in another country, Rovares Schiefer suggests they give it try.
“I would advise people to study abroad,” he said. “You grow a lot as a person and as an adult. Because of my study abroad, I learned how to take care of myself, have more responsibility, and my English has improved a lot.”
Shawnee State University is hosting nearly 40 international students from 16 countries this year. To learn more about SSU’s Center for International Programs & Study Abroad, visit shawnee.edu/cipa.