Where Our Students Are From
McKendree students come from all over the world! The graphic below represents the hometowns of all McKendree students currently enrolled. The purple dots signify the hometowns of our students within the United States. The gold dots reflect the hometowns of our international students.
Meet Bearcats From Around the Globe
Name: Keisha Johnson
Graduation Year: 2020
Hometown: Clearwater, British Columbia, Canada
Major: Exercise Science and Sports Performance
Extracurricular Activities: Women’s Hockey
What She Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “As a Canadian, it was easy for me to adjust to the American lifestyle. The thing I like most about living here is learning the current lingo, like calling hockey pants ‘breezers’ and saying ‘let’s dip’ when leaving a location, and being introduced to the stores and restaurants that we don’t have at home. But hey, there is a Tim Horton’s nearby!”
Favorite Parts of Life in Canada: “Clearwater is a small town of maybe 6,000 people and we are a close community. We hold a Canoe Regatta at Dutch Lake Beach every year, where the entire community comes out to watch or participate in relays, running, biking, or canoe races. We truly live in the most gorgeous location, as it holds six different waterfalls!”
Coolest Accomplishment: “I could not be more proud of the fact that I graduated high school with a scholarship to McKendree University to pursue the college hockey I’ve always wanted and attend a highly academic school.”
Goals After Graduation: “I plan on building a future with my love of coaching and personally training individuals
and teams.”
Name: Safiya Atkinson
Graduation Year: 2017
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica
Major: Psychology
Extracurricular Activities: Women’s Soccer, Psi Chi, Pi Gamma Mu, International Student Organization
What She Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “The provision of opportunities to excel in whatever you are striving for.”
Favorite Parts of Life in Jamaica: “The food (its flavor and spiciness), the music (Reggae), the beaches (my favorite place to be), the mountains, and overall scenery. I love my Jamaican people because they are extremely funny, polite, laid back, and very friendly.”
Coolest Accomplishment: “I’m most proud of funding my college tuition with little aid from my parents through my soccer scholarship, transfer scholarship, and my Resident Assistant position.”
Goals After Graduation: “My dream is to attend a prestigious university for graduate school and attain my
Doctorate in psychology.”
Name: Ratik Khanna
Graduation Year: 2020
Hometown: Jalandhar, India
Major: Accounting
Extracurricular Activities: Men’s Tennis
What He Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “People have been really helpful, and I’m really enjoying the professors at McKendree. The training in the U.S. is very different from India, but my tennis coach is Indian, so he understands me. It has been a wonderful experience so far.”
Favorite Parts of Life in India: “In India, people and families are really close to each other. People are very involved in each other’s lives.”
Coolest Accomplishment: “I’ve accomplished my goal of studying in the U.S. I am the first one in my family who went out of the country for further studies. I think I’m much more responsible and independent now.”
Goals After Graduation: “Getting a nice job in accounting.”
Name: Albert (Olivier) Lammens
Graduation Year: 2020
Hometown: Shenzhen, China
Major: Business Administration
What He Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “I like how everybody here is either on a sports team or supporting one. I’m really interested in other cultures, and so far this has been a great experience.”
Favorite Parts of Life in China: “In China, all international schools compete against each other in all kinds of events. This allowed me to travel to places such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Macao.”
Coolest Accomplishment: “The thing that makes me proud is that I have always been able to live in a totally
different culture. I’m from the Netherlands, but I live in Belgium and have been living
in China for the past three years. The first year in China was not easy, but once
I started to learn the language, it became easier to get around.”
Name: Nikola Uskokovic
Graduation Year: 2020
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Major: Environmental Studies
Extracurricular Activities: Men’s Golf
What He Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “The friendliness of the people here.”
Favorite Parts of Life in South Africa: “The combination of the modern world and nature’s beauty.”
Coolest Accomplishment: “I’m most proud of graduating from the French educational system with an honors accolade.”
Name: Felipe Thompson
Graduation Year: 2017
Hometown: Santiago, Chile
Major: Business Administration with a Minor in Leadership
Extracurricular Activities: Men’s Soccer
What He Likes Most About Living in the U.S.: “I like that I get to be in another culture, that I can play my favorite sport and go to school at the same time, and that I learn more English, which is a very important tool when I am back home.”
Favorite Parts of Life in Chile: “What I like most about Chile is that we are so warm and socially oriented. Friendship is very valued in Chile and so is family. I like the food and love to cook, so I really miss that. We are warriors as a country; we have been through a lot and always keep fighting.”
Coolest Accomplishment: “I’m proud to be where I am now! Earning a scholarship to study in the United States while being from a very faraway place like Chile is something to be proud of.”
Goals After Graduation: “I want to earn the money to go to grad school and return to Chile with a successful
career.”
Make It McKendree
