HONORS PORTFOLIO
by Prince Kalala
HONORS PORTFOLIO
Hi there! My name is Prince Kalala, I am an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Finance and International Business with a minor in Accounting in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. As you may have noticed, “Kalala” is somewhat untypical and does not sound American at all and that is because I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a French-speaking country also known as Congo-Kinshasa or DRC. It is located in the center of Africa and that is where I was born and raised. After spending more than 10 years there, I moved to Belgium, a country that I had never been familiar with before. One of the biggest changes from Congo to Belgium was that I moved out alone, my mother and sister stayed in Congo while I was gone. There, I faced many challenges that allowed me to grow and I became more independent and resourceful, so it ended up being a good experience. Shortly after that, I moved to the United States with my mom and my sister and it was another challenge for us because we were not totally familiar with the language, nor the culture and the school system. However, once again, I did not throw up my hands, but I did my best to be successful and I ended up graduating magna cum laude in high school. Some other things to know about me would be that I am a bit introvert but not shy, it takes time for me to open up to people that I just met but I quickly become outgoing once I feel comfortable. I love travelling, working out and hanging out with my friends and my family. My goal is to continue to gain more knowledge and experience in the Finance and International Business fields, eventually obtain a Master of Science after undergrad and maybe have the chance to let people call me Doctor Prince one day. I would eventually like to work in the field of international finance or banking and then open my own businesses in the entire world in order to make a name for myself in the business world. I know that with all the plans that I have for my future, I need to be very self-confident and act like a leader and team builder. Thus, being in the honors program is a great way for me to expand my network, challenge myself and take advantage of the leadership opportunities, honors seminars and other exclusive programs. Also, I know that I always bring a unique sense of passion and determination to succeed on things that I work on. I feel very blessed and I'm excited to see what my future in UC and in the UHP has in store for me! |