Background

My name is Vladimir Branisteanu and I am originally from Romania. I currently live in Palm Springs, a resort city located in the Southern California desert with a large portion of part-time residents (“snowbirds”) who flee to escape northern winters.

Professional Experience and Interests

I currently work as both a tennis instructor at a local country club as well as performing front office work at a medical imaging center. I enjoy playing tennis (surprise!), soccer, cycling, video games, and learning everything I can about distant places and cultures. I also enjoy attending car shows, as well as working on and driving my own cars in my free time and am a very active member of the Saab Club of North America.

Why PSU-World Campus?

I specifically chose to enroll in the Penn State World Campus program because there are no universities within an hour driving distance from where I live and I did not want to quit my jobs and relocate.

Why Applied Demography?

I chose to pursue an MPS in Applied Demography simply because I was always interested in demographics and population studies. I have many charts that I patiently compiled over the years on my own time regarding population trends and statistics in my area that I found interesting. Also, there have been several recent job opportunities in my area for those with experience in demographics and/or surveying.

Additionally, I think that it will be complementary to my history degree. I am excited to improve my skills in all aspects of applied demography.