A Year in the Fulbright Life: Aroub’s Story
For the next year, Fulbright MENA will be showcasing a handful of students as they study in the United States with their new series, A Year in the Fulbright Life. Each month, spotlighted students will share an update as they continue on their Fulbright journey.
August 2022
Only at this moment I realized how hard it is to leave my country, family, friends, my favorite places, and my comfort zone to travel to a completely new place. But I also knew deep down how exciting the journey will be, how big the world is waiting for me, and how much I will grow and learn. I’m ready for the new experiences, feelings, ideas, knowledge, places, people and the memories I’ll make.
September/October 2022
I watched a baseball game for the first time between the Phillies and Atlanta Braves at the Citizens Bank Park Stadium. It was an exciting game, and Phillies fans showed loyalty to their team by insisting on staying in the stadium while it was raining until the end!
I was thrilled to have lunch with the dean of the College of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University, faculty members, and my colleagues. We discussed our program and our expectations and learned more about the dean’s career path and achievements. We had a great time, and the dean was kind and welcoming.
I celebrated Hispanic/Latino heritage month with my friends by having Mexican food at one of Philly’s downtown Mexican restaurants.
December/January 2023
As we wrap up the first semester, I have been able to translate the theoretical knowledge I have been learning into hands-on experiences. While I was rotating between three laboratories specializing in different fields of research, I studied the effect of a specific chemical substance on cancerous cells to optimize a tissue-selective drug delivery system in addition to inspecting the metabolic changes associated with neurological diseases. Faculty members shared with me the special techniques they use in their research and gave me guidance on operating laboratory instruments. It was a unique and fascinating journey!
While spending vacation time with friends in Boston, I had the chance to visit MIT, Harvard University, and the different science and art museums there. This allowed me to learn more about the city’s history and to experience new things like touching a rock from space (a meteorite) and seeing fossils from hundreds of millions of years ago. It allowed me to enjoy the art and the greatness of diverse ancient civilizations from every continent. The trip was well spent with lovely friends from China who invited us to an authentic Chinese dinner.
July 2023
I just returned from a visit to Washington D.C. While I was there, I was able to visit many historic sites and museums, but the one I enjoyed the most was a tour inside the United States Capitol. The tour gave me incredible insight on the Legislative Branch and its two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. I learned about their responsibilities in addition to the history and architecture of the place.
In the Capitol’s museum I saw the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to senator J. William Fulbright, after whom our scholarship was named.
Aroub is a 2022 Fulbrighter from Jordan. She studies Pharmaceutical Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University.
Follow updates from Aroub and other Fulbright students on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Check back here every month for more updates on the blog and Medium Series to see what Aroub does this year!
