August 2017 This month I had a chance to see the total solar eclipse. While the whole world was watching, a cameraman was watching, too. I know this because of that moment when I went viral in the news and friends and classmates recognized me. It was also International Orientation…

August 2019 Saying goodbye is totally different when you are a Fulbright scholar, it’s more as a “Hello” for the new adventure waiting for you. The first week was challenging. It was not easy to be away from family and friends while trying to adapt with a new culture, lifestyle…

August 2022 This was the last photo I took back home, just before I took my luggage and went off to start a whole new life. My mother and I are smiling, pretending that we have it all together, but we actually don’t! We might be laughing. but we’re hiding a lot…

September 2017 The first month in school was very challenging since the education system in the United States is totally different than the Egyptian one. Being away from your family and adapting to a new way of learning was big challenge, but at UND, they usually try to help you…

It has been such an amazing, exciting journey to be in the United States. I’m studying for my master’s degree at Fordham University as a Fulbrighter in humanitarian studies and I have had the chance to meet so many new people, experience new cultures, and discover new beautiful areas in New York, Connecticut, Michigan, and many others. I also had a chance to try ice skating for the first time and it was an amazing experience.

January was the coldest month by far in Madison. Truly, it was freezing. For the first time, I had to wear all my snow gear (including my face mask!). Yet, I seem to find the weather exciting! In the winter break I decided to refocus on my research assistantship and…

I wanted to engage in more campus activities during my second semester at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I so decided to join the swim club. This was an opportunity for me to stay physically active and to expand my circle of friends. In my home country, Algeria…

During my first semester at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, I was invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) held in New York City. The summit focused on enabling efforts to tackle the world’s most challenging problems and achieving a sustainable future through business. I had a unique opportunity to network with numerous business leaders, executives, and researchers from the world’s leading universities. But most notably, I had the chance to meet the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, a member of the Fulbright Association and once an intern at the office of Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, the founder of the Fulbright Program!

I could not have thought of a better way to start and end the last month of 2022 than to put a tiny Christmas tree next to the Lebanese flag in my bedroom to remind me of a small piece of home. In Madison, WI, I experienced art in three…