Now they say Venezuelan student Diana  Manrique is the smart one...

<a href=www.vheadline.com>venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2003 By: VHeadline.com Reporters

Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) staff writer Jackie Mah has highlighted the story of Venezuelan immigrant Diana Manrique who arrived in her city in 1993 to learn English and better herself ... "she went home, only to return seven years later to better others."

According to a report in today's Observer, Diana  Manrique (34) graduated last night from Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) hoping to use her degree in dental hygiene to serve Charlotte's Hispanic community.

When Diana  and her classmates put on a dental clinic during the year for $20 per checkup, Manrique quickly spread the word through Hispanic news outlets to reach what she knew would be an initially hesitant audience ... "they are afraid because they don't speak (English)."

Because the need for Spanish-speaking hygienists is large, Diana says, she has a number of job offers from which to choose.  She doesn't plan on returning to Venezuela, since she believes her mission ... as far as she can see ... is to stay and aid the local Hispanic community.

Some 320 graduates attended Wednesday evening's CPCC ceremony presided over by former US Ambassador Mark Erwin who delivered the keynote address ... about 350 adults had graduated earlier in the day ... "I'm really proud of myself that I did it," Diana Manrique is quoted as saying.  She took English classes at CPCC in 1993 because she had family in the area and returned to the college in 2000 because of an increasingly difficult political situation in Venezuela.

"Studying in a second language was difficult ... but long afternoons in the library didn't faze me ... I gained knowledge of other cultures from my American and international classmates ... they swapped recipes and took day trips, and I made many friends. People thought I was the crazy one when I decided to come to Charlotte because I had to sell everything ... but now they say I am the smart one."