Determined to learn English...and more

Eight years ago he opened the door to a CSUB classroom. He was 17 years old, nearly 7,000 miles from home and unable to speak English. He carried with him only basic school supplies and an unquenchable desire to learn.

Tiemoko Diarra

Tiemoko Diarra showed just how far determination can go as he crossed the stage at CSUB to receive his master's degree in business administration.

A native of Mali, a landlocked nation in Western Africa, Diarra speaks French and the official national language, Bambara. After considerable research, Diarra and his family selected the CSUB Intensive English Language Center as the best place to learn English.

“When I got to the IELC, I didn't know anything. I tested at the lowest level possible. I didn't even understand the test instructions,” Diarra said with a laugh. “The next six months were intense. My friends were Japanese and Korean and they didn't speak English either.”

Together, the international students were not afraid to try speaking new words and always spoke English during and after class. No matter how broken, English was the only common language among them.

With six months of English under his belt, Diarra enrolled at Bakersfield College where he later earned an associate's degree in business administration. He then transferred to CSUB.

Diarra did not take long to determine his area of focus. “I had a lot of great professors, but when I took a finance class from Dr. Shakoori, I was hooked,” Diarra said with his usual exuberance and animated manner. “He inspired me.”

The feeling is mutual for Shakoori who enjoyed having Diarra as both an undergraduate and graduate student. “Tiemoko was himself inspirational as he was so hungry for learning,” Shakoori said. “His desire to learn was a tremendous boost in class.”

Diarra points out that the CSUB business school has top international accreditation, “one of the best in the world.”

“We come from all over the world to attend school here, and it surprises me that more in the community don't take advantage of it,” Diarra remarked.

Diarra is already putting his master's degree to good use as a quality assurance supervisor for Paramount Farms.