By Ludmila Mitula

Senior Staff Writer

There are many great universities in the U.S., such as Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University and Princeton University, to name a few. Some of the more prominent schools, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, which are located in Europe, are farther away, and many young Americans dream about studying there.

My 6th grade daughter has already decided on Harvard University. Based in the Boston area, Harvard is one of the oldest, largest and most influential universities in the world. I can only keep my fingers crossed that her dreams will come true and one day she will become a student at Harvard.

As for me, my favorite school is Brookhaven College. Located in the heart of Farmers Branch, Brookhaven is a public community college.

I never dreamed about studying here in Farmers Branch. I didn’t want to study again at all. I went for it because I wanted to polish my English and, as I learned two years ago when I came to Dallas, the easiest way was to attend college.

I came here looking for a big language school like Berlitz Language Center or Inlingua Language Services, which I knew from Europe, but Brookhaven and I met by accident.

One day I made a right turn instead of a left, came upon Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch and ended up at Brookhaven College. My first impression was not so great.

I expected a warm, welcoming entrance and people waiting to help me. Instead, they asked me to wait in a long line and immediately go to the Testing Center to take an exam. I almost gave up. I was not that serious or desperate. I just wanted to have some fun learning a new language in a new place.

Eventually, I started a noncredit class because nobody explained to me the difference between credit and non-credit. At the time, I didn’t know the difference.

My first class, in W Building, was a disaster. The next day, I tried a different class with a different teacher at a different level. I quickly fell in love with Lana Subicheva, my first English teacher here in the U.S. She became my mentor and close friend.

Soon, I fell in love with the whole system. It didn’t matter which building I went to, which class I was in or which group of people I was with. At Brookhaven, I always felt happy.

Even if I have to sit quietly for more than an hour and listen, I’m blessed to be a student again. I like morning walks through Brookhaven’s flora and fauna. Just like Jerry Bartz, Brookhaven’s Geographic Informations Systems lab coordinator and photographer of the campus exhibition “Green on the Go, ” I think the atmosphere here is therapeutic.

The most important people are the professors and students, who make this place not only friendly, but also professional. They make it a school we can call home. Here, you can find what you want.

This college offers a variety of classes, which I adore. Some are very unique, such as ceramics, film photography or speech. For the strict-minded, there are always math and science courses, too.

What I also like about this community college is that it is not going to burn a hole in your pocket. Classes are not expensive. You can save money, which is critical for millennials.

On campus, you see many great professors who teach at Brookhaven and at Univeristy of Texas at Dallas or Southern Methodist Univeristy. According to one instructor, they enjoy teaching at Brookhaven because they enjoy a more one-on-one interaction with students.

Brookhaven doesn’t have to compete with high-end universities because it is in a class all its own.

I feel like I’m on the right track to becoming successful because Brookhaven will take me places I want to go. That’s why it is the object of my affection.