Derian Cespedes Vega is a Freshman from Santa Ana, Costa Rica. He speaks, English, French, and Spanish, has 3 siblings, plans to major in French/Francophone studies and Environmental Science, and loves to dance! Read on to find out more about Derian and his expereinces at Davidson!
Name? Derian Cespedes Vega
Year? Freshman
Hometown? Santa Ana, Costa Rica
Major/intended major? French/Francophonic Studies and Environmental Studies
Campus involvement? I’m the chair for Multi-Cultural Activities of DIA (Davidson International Alliance), a Spanish AT, and a Spanish Tutor.
Any hidden talents? I’m a dancer (trust me, he’s a really, really, really good dancer!)
Derian chose Davidson after hearing about it at his boarding school in Costa Rica. While he looked at a variety of American schools, Davidson was the perfect fit for him; it had a small campus, lots of study abroad opportunities, and prestigious academics. He also wanted a university that would offer him new experiences. Many students from his boarding school went to schools in America, but not many came to Davidson. Davidson gave Derian the opportunity to meet new people and have lots of new opportunities.
Best Davidson Moments? Spending time with my friends!
Dream Job? That changes a lot. I’m not sure.
Favorite Food? Gallo pinto (a traditional Costa Rican dish made with rice and beans)
If you could change one thing about Davidson what would it be? Even when we say we are very accepting, when it comes to things like people thinking differently than you, people are not actually that accepting. Whenever you say something that could offend someone, they would react aggressively. I wish I could change that about Davidson.
Favorite Part about Davidson? I love Wall and the Honor Code.
Favorite place you’ve been to in America? New York City
Favorite song to hear at a party? Mr. Brightside
Favorite type of dancing? Salsa/twerking
What is the biggest difference between the US and Costa Rica? Culture and drinking habits. Americans drink to die, in Costa Rica they drink to have fun and to socialize.
What do you miss most about Costa Rica? The music
Favorite Musical Artists? I really like Bruno Mars.
Favorite Animal? Cats
Have any pets? Growing up I had a cat named “Nati.”
Favorite American food? I love pizza.
Do you like chipotle? I love Chipotle! It’s so good. They actually know how to make rice and they don’t know how to make rice here at Davidson.
How did school work in Costa Rica? School in Costa Rica is totally different than it is in America. We don’t have liberal arts – you have to declare your major before you get to school and in order to get into a school, you take an exam and each career has a certain mandatory score.
Did you think about going to University in Costa Rica? Nope. I didn’t even apply to school there. It was the U.S. or Gap Year.
Is it hard having classes taught in English? High school was in English so it’s not a language barrier here, but it would be easier if classes were in Spanish.
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