A Year in the Fulbright Life: Iman’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.

July 2019

Now that I am getting ready to travel to the United States to study for an MS in Neuroscience, I had to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues at the Libyan International Medical University. They have been so supportive throughout my Fulbright application and preparation process. We promised to meet again, and they wished me the best of luck.

July 2019 (Continued)

As planned, I started my pre-academic program at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. For three weeks, I lived the most enriched experience of my life. I met international students from 31 countries around the world. We spent a lot of time sharing and learning from each other.

Besides our English language classes, we enjoyed a lot of activities like hiking, climbing, feeding the bison, and visiting museums. We also attended a country music concert and the Kaw Valley rodeo. We even met members from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship board and had many useful workshops. Lastly, my favorite experience was dinner with our American host family, including eating their delicious homemade chocolate cake.

August 2019

After celebrating the end of our pre-academic program ceremony, we said goodbye to one another and wished each other the best in our next journey.

I arrived in Buffalo, New York to start my master’s in Neuroscience at the University of Buffalo. Buffalo is the largest city in western New York state. It has many attractive places to explore, an interesting history to discover, and very friendly people to interact with.

This month, I had the chance to attend an Indian Festival where I played cricket, watched singers performing Indian music, and got to try delicious Indian food. I also joined the Muslim community to celebrate Eid al-Adha at a local park where we had a barbecue and spent time together.

September 2019

As part of my orientation at the University at Buffalo, I went on a trip to Niagara Falls with other new international students. Niagara Falls was breathtaking, and no words can describe what I felt when I saw it the first time. It is something unforgettable. While there, we went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride which took us closer to the falls. I was able to feel the strength and the power of the water which was an amazing feeling.

Iman is a first-year Fulbright student from Libya. She is working towards her MS in Neuroscience at Kansas State University.

Follow updates from Iman 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 Iman does this year!