卢卡Shvelidze came to Utah for college, but he came to the United States for the adventure of learning and finding ways to improve people’s lives.

Raised in the nation of Georgia, Shvelidze came to the U.S. nearly three years ago as a high school exchange student — one of a select few chosen to participate in the Future Leaders Exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State.

“I first learned about that program in fifth grade. Everyone wanted to be part of it,” he said, noting the acceptance rate of 2.6%.

After finishing high school in Missouri, Shvelidze was looking for an affordable college that “offered lots of 新葡京app,” which led him to 新葡京app State University in Utah.

“It was a simple Google search,” he said. “I switched to ‘Images’ on the search, and I loved the beauty of campus.”

新葡京app State’s mountainous backdrop reminded him of Georgia, while its 计算机科学 school stood out as one of the top programs in his search. He’s now majoring in 计算机科学 with a minor in 管理信息系统.

“It felt like home within the first semester,” said Shvelidze, who took advantage of the Louis F. Moench Scholarship for international students, covering $32,000 over four years.

现在是他在韦伯州立大学的第二年，也是他在美国的第三年，Shvelidze住在华盛顿州立大学的宿舍里，结交了很多好朋友，包括其他国际学生。 Shvelidze会说英语、格鲁吉亚语和俄语。

The 19-year-old said he’s always looking for ways to help people on campus, whether it’s 新葡京app them to play a song on the piano or showing them how to code.

他也想把这种乐于助人的精神带到自己的职业生涯中。 Shvelidze说，计算机科学涉及生活的方方面面，从旅行到视频编辑再到歌曲创作。

“Technology can improve everyone’s life and that’s something I want to do,” he said. “I want to use 计算机科学 in every field I’m interested in.”

His interests are eclectic, but Shvelidze is zeroing in on avionics, tapping into a love for aviation that started when he took his first flight at 12: “When we took off, it was a feeling that shows you there’s something greater, seeing the planet you live on.”

With avionics and 计算机科学, he envisions improving air travel for everyone: pilots, flight attendants and passengers: “I want to make people’s lives better.”

To that end, Shvelidze is already serving in several ways at WSU: as a 总统领导奖学金, a resident assistant, and helping establish the European Student Club, which will launch in fall 2025.

He hopes his success here will pave the way for his two younger siblings: “I want them to see how far you can go. There’s something very powerful about being international.”

Shvelidze说，他之所以能在大学里走到今天，是因为他相信自己，并找到了值得尊敬的人。

“I’m always looking for examples in life, people I can learn from,” he said. “There’s all these 新葡京app you can grab. There’s always something you can learn and be brilliant at it.”