Close Menu
  • Homepage
  • Local News
  • Community
  • Health
  • Iowa
  • Crime
  • Trending
  • Privacy Policy
  • About us
What's Hot

Iowa to honor Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day by flying flags at half-staff

December 7, 2024

Davenport Police Chief announces progress in reducing violent crime

December 7, 2024

Davenport Fire Department highlighted unseen post-fire efforts

December 7, 2024

The Davenport Fire Department and Bettendorf Fire Department joined forces for a crucial auto aid training session at the Central Fire Station

June 30, 2024
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Trending
  • Iowa to honor Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day by flying flags at half-staff
  • Davenport Police Chief announces progress in reducing violent crime
  • Davenport Fire Department highlighted unseen post-fire efforts
  • The Davenport Fire Department and Bettendorf Fire Department joined forces for a crucial auto aid training session at the Central Fire Station
  • DPD recently hosted a special event to honor its retired officers, bringing together several generations of dedicated law enforcement professionals
  • The Davenport Police Department reminds residents of the guidelines surrounding the use of consumer fireworks as the Fourth of July approaches
  • Iowa’s state shooting sports season is underway, bringing together thousands of student athletes from elementary to high school and colleges across the state
  • The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is inviting the public to join a walking tour scheduled for May 18, running at Fort Atkinson State Preserve
  • Home
  • Buy Now
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Davenport JournalDavenport Journal
Subscribe
Saturday, June 7
  • Homepage
  • Local News
  • Community
  • Health
  • Iowa
  • Crime
  • Trending
  • Privacy Policy
  • About us
Davenport JournalDavenport Journal
Home»Trending

Gonzalo Pereira: Proud Of The Connections He Made

By Nick GreenDecember 24, 2020
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

DAVENPORT – When Gonzalo Pereira says he ‘enjoys a challenge,’ he’s not kidding.

On Dec. 19 he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business, and two additional majors in Management and Marketing. He also earned a minor in Supply Chain Management and completed that heavy academic load in just 3 1/2 years.

At the same time, Gonzalo was a student-athlete on the men’s soccer, volleyball, and tennis teams; served as an international student ambassador; worked at the Wellness and Recreation Center and for Sodexo; and participated in Model UN.

“Setting goals and holding myself to high standards were things my parents instilled in me as a child. I always enjoy a challenge,” he said. “But what I am most proud of are the connections I made with people who value what I have done in the past three years.”

An international student from Ecuador, Gonzalo knew his whole life he was preparing for a journey abroad. His parents believed he would have more opportunities attending college in the United States, and when the time came they turned to an agency that connects student-athletes with universities. Gonzalo, a skilled soccer player, received multiple scholarship offers.

“I was looking for somewhere I could experience the American culture, and what is more American than Davenport, Iowa?” he said. “I also wanted a university where I would not get lost and St. Ambrose was the perfect one in a nice city.”

His transition to college life in the U.S. was not difficult. “The biggest challenge I faced was time management. There are so many things you can do at SAU that you need to decide which ones are priorities. That was the hardest part,” he said.

And the priorities he set were valuable. Working at the WRC and for Sodexo strengthened his communication skills. As a student ambassador, Gonzalo gained leadership experience by guiding and supporting new international students. Through team athletics – soccer, in particular – he learned that ethnic differences do not matter. Ultimately, everyone is compatible.

“When we are on the field, everyone has to work together and go in the same direction,” he said. “When it comes to playing, it is all of us against everyone else.”

“But what I am most proud of are the connections I made with people who value what I have done in the past three years,” he said, adding faculty and peers were always available if issues arose. “The professors were always reachable, and that is not something all schools have, and they were always present, which is the most important thing,” he said.

Gonzalo hopes to remain in the U.S. and wants to establish his life here. He is actively seeking work and wants to start his career in a position that will use and build on his supply chain knowledge.

As a person who ‘enjoys a challenge,’ obviously that will be his first step. Gonzalo plans to work in many different industries and successively move into roles of higher responsibility and leadership. His ultimate goal is to become the chief executive officer of a hospital or healthcare system.

“Right now, I want to go to work and gain as many mentors and skillsets as possible. I believe I am ready to take in any advice or knowledge I can,” he said. “I am looking to impress people, especially myself. Whatever industry I am working in, what matters is the reputation I gain from people.”

Keep Reading

“This virus stole my son from me”, Parents of a newborn say their baby started having seizures and was placed on a ventilator before he died at just 34 days old after contracting a virus which doctors say may be underdiagnosed

Family of a man, who died while in prison for not wearing a mask on a bus during the pandemic, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the prison staff denied him medications he needed and failed to provide him with medical attention

“Would this have been done to our son if he was white?”, Parents of a student say their son was racially profiled by a man who pinned him to the ground with his knee on his back because he thought the eighth-grader stole his son’s bike

Mother, whose baby was born prematurely at just 23 weeks and spent the first 5 months in the hospital, says cuddles saved the child’s life after doctors suggested that ‘skin-to-skin’ hugs may help the newborn survive

“Kids are being sold the false idea that transitioning will make them happy”, Transgender man, who transitioned from female to male after being convinced that she was in the wrong body, says she will never be a man

Parents of an elementary school student want tougher consequences for bullies after their son was sent to the hospital and doctors had to perform multiple surgeries to save his leg after an injury caused by a bully with a pencil

Editors Picks

Iowa to honor Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day by flying flags at half-staff

December 7, 2024

Davenport Police Chief announces progress in reducing violent crime

December 7, 2024

Davenport Fire Department highlighted unseen post-fire efforts

December 7, 2024

The Davenport Fire Department and Bettendorf Fire Department joined forces for a crucial auto aid training session at the Central Fire Station

June 30, 2024

Subscribe to News

Get the latest sports news from NewsSite about world, sports and politics.

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

Davenport Journal

Regardless of your interests, the Davenport Journal has something for you. Our specialty pages cover topics such as education, community, crime, local events and local entertainment. The fact is, no other publication provides readers in Davenport with more in-depth coverage of what goes on right here at home.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube
Search Headlines, News…
  • Homepage
  • Local News
  • Community
  • Health
  • Iowa
  • Crime
  • Trending
  • Privacy Policy
  • About us
© 2025 Davenport Journal. Designed by Nick Green.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.