Student brings global experience to ECU

Commuting 45 minutes from Goldsboro, N.C. to Greenville may sound like a long distance for the average college student; however, ECU public relations student Karen Neumann has traveled much farther distances.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Neumann first arrived in the United States when she was 2 years old. Her father brought his family to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he worked in the emergency room of Brookdale Hospital.

From Brooklyn, the family moved to Laredo, Tex. where Neumann's father was working in internal medicine and nephrology.

Neumann's grandparents immigrated to Argentina from Vienna, Austria, when their Jewish background forced them to leave their home during World War II.

"My parents still have documentation of all the things that belonged to my grandparents that the Nazis stole from them," said Neumann. "My grandparents owned a textile company in Vienna and the Nazis took it away. They had two choices when leaving Austria - either go to South Africa or Argentina. They ended up in Argentina."

Neumann now resides in Goldsboro, where she and her parents moved in 2002, but visits her family in Argentina every Christmas.

Neumann's days begin at 8 a.m. in Goldsboro. After waking up, having breakfast and spending a couple hours at home, she drives to Greenville to attend classes.

"When I'm done I usually leave campus. I go home and clean. I visit my parents every day and help my mom around her house," she said.

Neumann is multilingual.

"I speak fluent Spanish," Neumann said. "I read and write in Spanish fluently as well. I can understand Portuguese and Italian if they are spoken slowly, but I'll answer in Spanish."

After graduating from ECU, Neumann plans to return to Argentina to pursue a medical degree.

"I would like to use my PR degree to get a job as a pharmaceutical representative," she said. "I want to go to the same medical school my dad went to in Argentina. It's called Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina. I want to be a part of Doctors Without Borders to help under-privileged kids."

Doctors Without Borders is an international nonprofit organization of doctors that brings aid to those who have limited or no health care.

"I want to make some sort of positive difference in the world," Neumann said. "I want to be able to say that while I was here, I did something worthwhile."

"The most influential people in my life are my parents," said Neumann. "My father has worked so hard to give my mother and me the life he didn't have. My mother has taught me to be a strong, independent Latin female."

Neumann's fellow students agree that the undergraduate is making a difference at ECU.

"Karen is a very caring person who's willing to help you under any circumstances," said her friend Eliezer Maldonado. "She is also pretty mature, always learning from hers and other people's experiences. She's a great friend and daughter. She's someone to be proud of."

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.