SUNY Plattsburgh Student Profiles: Matej Kollar and Ioana Staicut

August 18, 2009

From Slovakia to Beekmantown

Matej Kollar grew up in Slovakia, but spent his junior year in Plattsburgh as an exchange student at Beekmantown High School. When it came time to choose a college, he selected Plattsburgh State, where this year he was accepted as a freshman studying international business.

"Now I feel like I've come home," said Kollar. "When I sent an email to the College, they replied. The relationship I have with the College is very good."

A preliminary enrollment report at Plattsburgh State shows that nearly 12 percent of new students are from outside of New York State.

"We have a truly exceptional class of freshmen, transfer and graduate students this year at Plattsburgh State," said Richard Higgins, director of admissions and associate vice president of enrollment management. "It's a diverse class with a strong academic background."

A Family Affair

Ioana Staicut, a freshman computer science major from Romania, said she became familiar with Plattsburgh State after her sister applied for admission five years ago.

"My sister didn't come to Plattsburgh, but that's when I first heard about it," said Staicut. "When I started applying, I did a lot of research on the Internet and received (college) catalogs."

Both Matej Kollar and Ioana Staicut are recipients of Plattsburgh's most prestigious merit award, the Presidential Scholarship. In addition to the monetary benefits associated with this award, Presidential Scholars are automatically enrolled in the College's distinguished Honors Program.

In addition to the enriching presence of many international students, many out-of-state students are now calling Plattsburgh State home. Coming to us from places like Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland, as well as 22 countries (including Japan, Kenya and India) our campus is a stimulating and diverse place to learn and grow.