Fran Perroud admits he misses his mom’s home cooking and his home in Argentina.
As an international student, being homesick isn’t unusual, particularly that first year, but as a senior who graduates in December, Perroud said he has become accustomed to life in the U.S., and he hopes to continue his graduate studies here.
Being a member of the Cardinal basketball team for three years helped him feel at home, as he said he had an immediate group of friends the minute he stepped onto campus. “It was an easy way to make friends for an international student like me,” he said.
In general, Perroud says he recommends Saint Mary’s because of the helpful community here, who assisted the biology major with everything from housing to registration — to obtaining an amazing SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) internship experience at The Hormel Institute in Austin, Minn.
For 10 weeks, Perroud was part of a team working on liver cancer research at The Hormel Institute. As he lost both of his grandfathers to cancer, the internship held particular meaning. He was also offered a job to continue working with the institute as a result.
“It opened a lot of doors for my future,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have had this experience. You realize what an impact you can have in other people’s lives. It’s exciting, and it makes me feel happy that I can be contributing to help someone else that is having cancer issues, not just liver cancer but cancer in general.”
