A Year in the Fulbright Life: Christelle’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 2020
Every Fulbrighter gets excited for that travel day in which they start truly feeling that they are a Fulbrighter. I was too, but as I was leaving Lebanon, three days after the Beirut explosion, my heart was heavy. I wanted to help my country and its people heal. I wanted to volunteer with the clean-ups, but I couldn’t. I was the first Fulbrighter of my cohort to get to the United States. Ultimately, I tried to see the bigger picture: I am here to learn more about a field that my country is in dire need of. I will try my best to help from here if I can, but to also give back to my community in Greensboro. The airport was packed with travelers and I barely had a few moments to talk with my mom before flying; it was not the send-off that I was expecting, but I had a feeling in my heart that the journey would be worth it! Plus, I knew that my dad was going to be my invisible travel buddy in heaven on this journey with me!
I got to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) during the peak of the pandemic and I honestly did not expect that there would be many events or activities, but I was pleasantly surprised! We had the chance to get a virtual caricature drawn of ourselves and join some fun online bingo games with other students. It sure helped kill the loneliness of self-quarantining for two weeks after the trip here.
Freedom at last! August 22nd was the first day of the end of my self-quarantine and what better way to spend it than by volunteering through campus? This was the first time I walked to campus and I did not have a U.S. phone number yet. It was safe to say that I got a lost a couple of times, took a few wrong turns, but ultimately found my way — pun intended: UNCG’s motto is “Find Your Way!” I was part of a group that carried out some gardening work at the Spartans Open Pantry which provides food assistance to students, faculty, staff, and the community suffering from food insecurity. The work that we did will help the pantry grow fresh produce to be distributed or used for cooking hot meals for the community!
Once my self-quarantine was done, I was free to safely roam around campus and Greensboro. Turns out that we have a lake that is part of campus, even though it is located about twenty minutes away. This was my first time going there and they had a fun tie dye event!
September 2020
I went to downtown Greensboro with two of my friends and we picked up some pizzas before heading to Lake Brandt to catch the sunset and enjoy the outdoors whilst having dinner! It was truly serene and beautiful; I wish I could have stayed there indefinitely!
We have a lovely museum on campus called the Weatherspoon Museum! I would pass by it every day on my walk to campus. It is very close to my apartment. Having some time on my hands, I decided to explore it one afternoon and I was not disappointed! They had a beautifully curated temporary exhibition and several permanent exhibitions as well.
October 2020
I was selected by our Office of Outreach and Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement to represent UNCG as one of six other students at the Contemporary Issues in Transformative and Innovative (CITI) Leadership Conference where I got to learn more about leadership, activation, the 7Cs of Change, authentic leadership, and other topics!
UNCG’s Office of Outreach, Leadership, and Civic Engagement always had exciting events which are usually a whole day long from beginning to end. I signed up for one about migration and refugees. It was split into two parts: a virtual session explaining the challenges that migrants face to get to the United States and a hands-on volunteering project at the New Arrivals Institute to help mulch the playground for the kids! It was fun getting to chat with other UNCG students at the same time!
Our department chair asked me if I could give a presentation about Lebanon and I was more than happy to accept! I had the chance to deliver a comprehensive talk about my home country in front of Peace and Conflict Studies faculty, staff, and students for over two hours with an included Q&A session!
November 2020
One of the programs that attracted me to UNCG were the Leadership Challenges which encourage students to pursue leadership development and skills. There are three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. I was able to complete the Bronze Leadership Challenge this semester after taking five different leadership workshops, a CliftonStrengths Finder assessment, writing up a SWOT analysis, and reflecting on my experiences. Now onto the Silver level in the spring!
I have been on campus a couple of times throughout the past few months, mainly because I love it and because I live close by. This was, however, the first time I did a “photoshoot” on campus with a friend. When it gets close to finals, you will see students offering the Minerva statue whole and bitten apples in exchange for some good luck on their exams!
I am truly happy that two out of three of my fall courses were in person. I was happy to take a picture with my class!
Wanting a change of scenery, my friend Merve and I headed to Pilot Mountain for the day. It took us about an hour to get there and more time to climb to the top, but we made it and the view was worth it! Then we headed to Winston Salem for a late lunch and spent some time at Quarry Park. I was amazed to see love locks in the park because I always thought they only existed in Europe. Life and happiness are about the little things!
On the day of the elections, I volunteered alongside other students through our Office of Outreach, Leadership, and Civic Engagement to raise awareness about the importance of voting and to urge people to go to the polls. We had been given a workshop prior to that which explained the electoral college and how voting is done.
December 2020
The Center for New North Carolinians provides training, research, and services to refugees and immigrants in Greensboro and the local area. I was able to intern with them alongside the Director of the CNNC. During this month with them, I was in charge of social media, grant research and writing, and organizing a detailed social media events calendar for the whole year, among other tasks. I have been volunteering with the CNNC since August and I am a fellow with them now, too!
With many holiday activities closed due to COVID, my friend and I went to Winter Wonderlights as a fun little trip. We were able to see holiday lights in Greensboro. It was a magical experience.
Things are always hectic with me; I enjoy it a lot, but it can get tiring though…
January 2021
On MLK Service Day, I decided to volunteer on my campus with Operation Gratitude. We made 140 paracord bracelets to be sent to military members. I was a site leader responsible for 16 students (eight per shift). The bracelets double as survival tools because they can be unraveled in case of an emergency, providing the military personnel with seven feet of paracord that they can work with. I also led icebreakers and reflections to celebrate Martin Luther King.
I also helped with Spears as a student leader volunteer during the Spring 2021 Orientation to help new students adapt to campus and find their way. It’s been great to get involved on my campus and make new friends.
February 2021
I was accepted into the Civic Engagement Academy at UNCG, which introduces students to political life in the United States and allows them to have constructive dialogues with each other. We have the first event on the 10th of this month which, also happens to be my birthday! I also started the Silver Leadership Challenge. This is where I get one-on-one support from a Leadership Development Coach on campus. At the same time, we are gathering articles for our departmental journal, of which I am the managing editor. I still am busy volunteering with the CNNC and attend the CNNC fellow meetings.
Today, I made one of our traditional Lebanese dishes, Tabbouleh. I shared it with my roommate and my neighbor. It was nice to have a taste of something from back home! I am always amazed by the ability of food to connect people with each other, their communities, and ancestors!
My Graduate Assistantship supervisor passed by my apartment in the afternoon of my birthday and gave me a heart-shaped sugar cookie stuffed with whipped cream and sprinkles. She also gifted me the beige bag containing a pair of socks, a scented candle, some chocolate, and a very sweet letter!
In the evening, my roommate and one of our mutual friends surprised me with a lemon-flavored cake that they had baked together and a birthday present.
I think this was the first normal holiday that I’ve actually celebrated here in the United States. It was nice. I had meetings, activities, work, and studies all day from 6 a.m. till 7:30 p.m., and I resumed studying after 8:30 p.m., but in that hour in between, things were truly nice and peaceful.
Also, the Arts and Culture Committee, which I am a member of, surprised me with a virtual cake.
March 2021
OLCE selected me as their student Change Maker for the month of March!
My friend and neighbor, Merve, and I planned to go to the Sea Life aquarium this month. We were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that it is part of a big mall called Concord Mills. We ended up spending the day at the mall, then had some dinner at a restaurant in Downtown Charlotte called Stir and came back to Greensboro… all in a day!
The stingray pictures took me a long time to get because of the glow of the aquarium and the stingrays being so fast! Their underside is beautiful, so I just had to capture it!
I attended a socially distanced in-person cooking workshop with UNCG, hosted by the UNCG Recreation and Wellness Center! We made a traditional Greek salad and Greek hummus. Jill, the workshop leader who is also a nutritionist at UNCG, is married to a trained chef who works at a Greek restaurant. It was really fun, and I learned a lot of cool knife tricks like chopping as fast as a chef and using the knife to crush garlic which makes it peel easier and releases its flavor.
April 2021
April was busy as usual! This first picture is from my attendance at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum. This year, due to the pandemic, it was virtual. Even though it was not as exciting as being at the United Nations, it was still interesting and inspiring. In many ways, it is an example of defying the pandemic and brought to light many issues related to infrastructure and WiFi inaccessibility while exploring the way forward towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals
This was taken at the Graduate Student Association’s Grubhub event. It was held in the parking lot of the Joint School of Nanoengineering and Nanosciences. It was the closest that we have been to normalcy. We were socially distanced, but we were able to chat together while waiting for our Mac and Cheese meals.
My classmate Marc (pictured right) and I had agreed to meet at the Grubhub event and then support a third classmate, Grace (pictured in the middle), by attending her MFA Thesis exhibition. This was the first time we all met in person as our class is online this semester. Marc and I grabbed food, went to a lovely park, ate, and then we headed to the exhibition. Grace tied our classroom theories and knowledge to art in a beautiful way through storytelling! Marc even brought a bottle of champagne
I won the North Carolina Association of International Educators Volunteer Award. The awards ceremony was recent and I was officially given the award during it (even though I had received the plaque weeks before). The award was given for “Outstanding Service and Leadership in International Education.”
I also received my first shot of the Moderna vaccine, with the second one scheduled for April 15th. This is the pin I got!
In celebration of Holi (which is the Indian festival of colors), the International Programs Center organized an outdoor event in Foust Park which included painting shirts and throwing homemade colored powders around. Here is the shirt I made representing my journey as a Lebanese Fulbrighter who will graduate from UNCG in 2022.
May 2021
Marc is one of my friends and fellow students from my program! I had the chance to meet his two dogs Neely and Savannah on campus and we went for a walk together. This was my opportunity to show him around as well because he is an online student and we only got to meet through my online classes this semester. He lives nearby though, and we do keep in touch!
UNCG celebrated the hard work and dedication of student leaders and university clubs and organizations across campus. Usually held in person, the Spartans of Excellence Banquet was shifted to an online format this year. We went to campus in the early afternoon and took some fun pictures with the UNCG picture frame and backdrop, then we streamed the ceremony in the evening. For me, there were two highlights of the evening: 1) Receiving the Outstanding Student Leader Award which is given to one undergraduate and one graduate student leader on campus, and 2) getting to share this moment with my mom, who stayed awake until 1 AM in Lebanon to watch the ceremony with me. I had not expected to win this particular award since it was very competitive and selective. After my name was announced, I video called my mom and we both cried tears of joy! It was a truly memorable moment!
Earlier this year, I was accepted into the Guilford County’s Family Justice Center’s Pathways Program. This initiative enables selected individuals to act as mentors for youth who were victims of domestic violence. This was the first time we got to meet the kids and it was wonderful to have an in-person event in Hester Park! We had conversations, played with dogs from the local shelter, organized team activities for the kids, and fished together.
I completed the Silver Leadership Challenge this semester after having completed the equivalent of the Bronze Leadership Challenge last fall. The Silver level is unique in that I was paired up with a leadership coach that guided me in my leadership journey and further developed my skills. Since we could not have an in-person ceremony, the Office of Outreach and the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement organized a drop-in medallion ceremony during which we got to collect our medallions and certificates, as well as get our picture taken!
My first summer internship started on May 18th and is still going strong! I accepted an internship offer from The Carter Center in Atlanta with their Conflict Resolution Program, focusing on the Peace in Syria Project. Although the internship is fully virtual, the staff has been more than wonderful and I got to meet one of the other interns, Esther, in -person since she lives nearby in Winston-Salem! She even invited me to spend a weekend in July with her family, promising to show me around Winston Salem! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to meet former President Jimmy Carter, but we still goet to send in a book to be autographed by him!Carter, but we still get to send in a book to be autographed by him!
June 2021
I had another internship that overlapped in June. Located at the UN Plaza in New York, Peace Boat US is known for its sustainability, climate action, ocean action, disarmament, and gender advocacy programs. I joined the team just in time for World Oceans Day, Week, and Month! Even though this internship was also fully virtual, World Oceans Day was celebrated both virtually and in-person in New York. One of the most exciting events I had the chance to take the lead on was a conversation with Galaxy 4 Peace regarding the oceans, ocean pollution, and Peace Boat’s work! This was my first Twitter conversation and I loved every minute of the experience. I’ve learned so much about peace education, the oceans, ocean acidification, and climate change as well as climate justice and environmental justice.
In celebration of World Refugee Day, Student Voices for Refugees (SVR) launched their mentorship and scholarship toolkit for refugees. A collective volunteering effort during the spring semester, SVR brought university students primarily from U.S. universities together to help foster more opportunities and a more inclusive environment for refugees within higher education. I had the opportunity to be involved in two initiatives: edSeed and VIP.fund as well as Article 26 Backpack. I met with key leaders from both initiatives, some of them fulfilling more than one role within each (volunteer, mentor, mentee, and scholarship recipient) and drafted the final articles published on the website.
I grew up watching movies that often portrayed Greek life, fraternities, and sororities on U.S. campuses. From the moment I came to the United States, I wanted to join a sorority. Growing up as an only child, I loved the concept of everlasting bonds that grew out of being part of a fraternity or sorority, so I applied in the spring but felt crushed when I discovered that I would need to live on-campus to be eligible. I thought this was the end of my Greek Life dreams, but a few weeks later, I received an email from a lovely lady telling me about an Alumna Initiate Program for one of the fraternities, and she asked if I would be interested in talking more over the phone about it. Things got hectic later in the semester, but I finally made the time to apply, and I just recently received acceptance into the Alumna Initiate Program of Alpha Chi Omega. The fraternity goes by the motto of “Real Strong Women” with values of wisdom, devotion, and achievement, and emphasizes service — as well as leadership — with a focus on countering and raising awareness about domestic violence. I honestly could not be happier!
During one of my fall courses, my instructor had mentioned a Summer Peace Program at a U.S. university. I went to research the program but ended up finding the Middlebury Institute of International Studies summer peacebuilding program and was immediately hooked! I loved the structure of the program and its progression, so I decided to apply and discovered that I was accepted! I started the program this month and have loved it so far. I’ve had the chance to converse with Peace and Conflict practitioners and academics coming from varied backgrounds and all walks of life!
My United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) journey as one of ten UN Youth Champions for Disarmament started last June (2020). Even a year after, it still feels surreal. I am tremendously thankful to have been selected and to have gotten the opportunity to meet nine other incredible individuals as well as extremely inspirational UN staff and leaders! I also had the chance to represent Lebanon and UNODA as a speaker during different virtual events happening in various countries around the world! While the virtual ceremony marked the official end of our training, more opportunities await ahead! I am excited to further speak at different events, to develop and implement community projects, and to hopefully meet everyone on the study tour once it is safe again to travel!
Our second in-person event for the Family Justice Center took place in June. This was the first ever fundraiser that they had organized. For three hours, we got together as volunteers and created a fun atmosphere for individuals at the center to stop by for ice cream, write their biggest dream, listen to some music and dance along, as well as play fun outdoor games. Part of the ice cream sales went towards the Family Justice Center, in addition to direct donations at the stand. At the end of the day, we were able to raise enough money to send three kids to Camp Hope, which brings kids together who are part of the Pathways program for a fun week of activities!
Christelle is a 2020 Fulbright student from Lebanon. She is studying Conflict and Peace Studies at UNC Greensboro.
Follow updates from Christelle 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 Christelle does this year!
