Juan Tavares, general manager of international enrollment at the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, knows firsthand what it is like to be an international student in the United States. Tavares grew up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he spent much of his childhood developing as a competitive swimmer. A friend and fellow swimmer traveled to Michigan State University in East Lansing one year and raved about his experience, which inspired Tavares to seek an opportunity to study in the U.S.

"I talked to an American, Jim Henderson,” said Tavares. “He was the national team diving coach in the Dominican Republic. Jim called the coach of the MSU swim team and told him I was a prospect.”

Tavares then began to take the required college entrance exams to enroll in a U.S. university, including the TOEFL exam and the SAT. The SAT was only offered once a year in the D.R., a deadline that had expired by the time Tavares began the process, so he had to wait until the following year to take the exam and apply to MSU.

“My experiences trying to come to the U.S. help me relate to the international students here at WMU,” Tavares said. “There are many idiosyncrasies and difficulties when applying to a university that most people see as normal. I can look back on my own experience, the home sickness, the different climate, and meeting new people. That’s why I like this job. I can give helpful tips.”

Tavares introduces new international students to American dining

After graduation, Tavares was hired by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. and worked in recreation health club management in both the private and public sectors.  Tavares ended up in Kalamazoo after being offered a job with Bronson Hospital’s health clubs. The job began to take a toll on Tavares and his family, as he had to work long shifts and was always on call. Tavares began talking about a career change to a member of the health club who worked in admissions at K-College.

“At 41 years old, I started from scratch,” said Tavares. He accepted a position in admissions at K-College and worked there for three years. In 2006, he moved to an office just a few blocks away when he joined WMU’s international admissions staff as an admissions counselor.  One of his major accomplishments in the three years he has worked at WMU is a major increase in student enrollment from the Dominican Republic.

“When my niece, Nayibe, was a junior in high school she became interested in studying in the U.S.,” said Tavares. “Her parents were reluctant to send her. I convinced my brother to let her stay with me. She ended up coming to Kalamazoo to attend Loy Norrix High School for her senior year. She liked Kalamazoo and the environment here and decided to go to college at WMU.”

Nayibe told her friends at home about her decision to attend WMU and five of them decided to enroll with her, entering the University in fall 2007. This initial cohort was joined in January 2008 by 56 new D.R. students and 60 more enrolled at WMU in August 2008. There are currently 131 Dominicans enrolled at WMU in a broad range of disciplines.

Tavares at a meeting in the Dominican Republic

“They liked WMU because it isn’t too big and the University has accessible faculty who are warm, welcoming, and helpful,” said Tavares. “Unlike many other schools where everything is done by separate offices, WMU has the Haenicke Institute, where international students will find all the services they need under one roof. The convenience is an advantage to students; we find retention rates by international students are the highest on campus.”

Tavares is currently scheduled to travel to China in March for a 10 day recruiting trip in conjunction with our English as a Second Language Director Diana Vreland.

“China is a huge market,” said Tavares. “WMU is looking to get more students from that market.” Tavares will be leaving for China in November to begin recruitment.
 
Swimming is still Tavares' favorite way to work out and he does so most evenings with his three children at a Kalamazoo swim club.

Students seeking information about international admissions at WMU may contact Tavares via e-mail at: juan.tavares@wmich.edu

Story by Julia Valentine