A Year in the Fulbright Life: Jeries’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 2022

Palestinian Fulbrighters! Yes, this is us.

In this picture, we were having our last orientation before flying to the United States. It was just a few months prior that we were offered our grants. It was here that our friendship flourished, and our experiences began connecting. Thank you Amideast, and Fulbright!

Ad Astra Per Aspera, ‘through hardships to the stars’ is what it says. From the West Bank, all the way to the United States, and hopefully up to space. As a child, teenager, and now a Fulbrighter pursuing a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, my dream has always been to become the first Palestinian astronaut.

I was very happy when my host family from Manhattan, Kansas took me to the Cosmosphere Space Museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. They made part of this dream come true (Thank you Barb, Tony, and Valentina for the museum trip and the steak dinner!). In these pictures, I do implicitly share my dream and my story. Our friendship families are a great part of our Fulbright Pre-Academic program in Kansas State University.

August 2022

During my time at Kansas State University, I was enrolled in the academic life of the United States. My class learned about academic writing skills and we did so many presentations! However, on our last day of the program we did one final presentation. It combined all of the skills we have learned from this wonderful program. Here I am, presenting about “The World in 2050” and how sustainability should be our global endeavor.

My Fulbright colleague Laura from Colombia and I “patiently” waiting for our turn to receive our participation certificate in the Fulbright — KSU Pre-Academic program.

It eventually is my turn! I’m very proud of this moment, and the chance to have been part of this wonderful program.

I finally get my participation certificate, handed to me by Mr. Grant Chapman, the Senior International Officer at Kansas State University; who himself is a Fulbright alum. Here I am, a tall and proud Palestinian, having done his first accomplishment in the United States. It starts with this certificate and goes onto further accomplishments during my Fulbright Program.

In my next phase, I flew to Norfolk, Virginia, to start my Master’s program at Old Dominion University.

Jeries is a 2022 Fulbrighter from the West Bank. He studies Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University.

Follow updates from Jeries 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 Jeries does this year!