A Year in the Fulbright Life showcases selected Fulbright MENA participants’ program year, month by month, in the United States.
July & August 2019
I had a great six-week Fulbright Pre-Academic program here at Drexel University in Philadelphia. It gave me the opportunity to meet different people from all over the world, learn from them and share my life experience. This program allowed me to interact with Fulbrighters from different backgrounds, and expand my network on an international level.
After just less than a week to our arrival to the United States and on the 13th of July, my colleague Salume and I were invited to have dinner with an American family in Philly which was a great experience since it was my first real interaction with American people. We added each other on Facebook, and I gave them some small gifts I brought from Bethlehem as a memory to remind them of me.
One of the most amazing experiences I’ve had so far was our trip to Washington DC. Taking the Capitol Tour was very fruitful and informative. Inside the capitol, I had the chance to see the large statues of various congressmen, legendary Americans and former presidents of the United States. I also had the chance to capture a picture with the statue of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the U.S who also served as an American Army General.
I’ve always dreamed of visiting New York and here I am! Being a Fulbrighter & a New-Yorker for one day was super great. It was a magnificent day where I spent a good time exploring new places; Times Square was my favorite part! This is the New York that I’ve always imagined and saw on TV. Full of life, people, lights, ads, and screens. New York is just a crazy fast city that any person can fall in love with!
I couldn’t miss a visit to the Museum of Art in Philadelphia, where I had the chance to see great collections from American, European and Asian history. Taking the tour in this world-class museum was really nice as you can explore valuable and historical items from across the world.
This was my Pre-Academic presentation in the Conference presentations at Drexel where I presented my research topic about medical care and seafood poisoning. This great Fulbright pre-academic program not only gave me the chance to share my life experience, but it allowed me to learn how to communicate effectively in an American classroom, enhanced my academic writing, and provided me with the chance to taste American culture, explore new cities and states, and improve my personal skills as well.
This picture was taken on the last day of my Pre-Academic Program, where we all presented our pre-academic research topic in the conference presentation at Drexel University along with a farewell party for the amazing Fulbrighters and people that I met so far. This is me with my Brazilian friends and Fulbrighters.
This is a picture of my friend Akarsh, who is a Fulbrigher from India, at Philadelphia Airport as we both were moving to our host universities to start our academic programs this fall semester.
The Pre-Academic Program is now over, and I’ve moved to Indianapolis, where I’ve recently started my master’s program in the Pharmaceutical Sciences as a Fulbright student and an unofficial cultural ambassador of West Bank at Butler University.
September 2019
On September 7th, I got the chance to participate with other Butler Students at a volunteering activity called “Bulldogs in the Streets (BITS).” This was a great day full of activities, volunteering, and networking. I really enjoyed giving back to my new community
On September 15th, I attended an Indy Jazz Fest Performance in Indianapolis with the other Indiana Fulbright scholars and alumni. I had the chance to explore Indianapolis, enjoy Jazz music, and meet with some other amazing Fulbrighters. It was a great day!
This was a great volunteering activity at a private school in Indianapolis where we taught students about the Fulbright program and different cultures. I participated with my other Fulbright friends from Butler University, Mohammed and Adriana. We had a great couple of hours with the kids there!
I also found time to attend a football match with some of my friends from Butler. We enjoyed the sunshine and sports!
This is me at the pharmacy lab where I am working on my master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. I’m a researcher, and I work on medications in order to develop current drugs and provide the world with better treatments.
October 2019
This month I had the chance to visit Chicago. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the “Bank of America Chicago Marathon” on the 13th of October. I attended this volunteering activity with my colleague Ghiada and we volunteered at the finish line and distributed water to the runners. We were also lucky to meet other Fulbrighters there. I got to know people, and on top of that, I enjoyed our time in this amazing city!
November & December 2019
On Thanksgiving, my academic advisor at Butler University invited me and my colleague Mohammad to have dinner at her home. This was a great opportunity for me to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time.
This is me with some of the other graduate students in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Butler. We were invited to have dinner with one of our faculty professors. We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving and an early Christmas.
During the first week of December, I got the chance to attend the Winterlights event in Indianapolis with other Fulbrighters, including Adriana from Spain and Kate from the United States. We saw Christmas trees and lights everywhere and met different people who came to celebrate Christmas.
In Indianapolis, snow is a must! My colleague Mohammad and I got the opportunity to have a snowball fight and build a snowman on the Butler campus. This day was like magic! Full of cold, snow, and happiness.
This picture shows the snowman that we built at Butler. We called him the “snowbrighter!”
I also had the chance to meet my older cousin Silvana for the first time in my life! We’ve been in touch on Facebook, but never had the chance to meet face-to-face. It was a great feeling to meet her and her husband in Houston for the first time and celebrate Christmas Eve together.
Exploring Houston and taking a tour of it was a great part of my visit to Texas. It was nice to take these pictures in front of the Houston Healthcare building.
I’m a big fan of technology! Visiting the Galleria Financial Center in Houston and the Microsoft branch in it was great. I had the chance to see what Microsoft branches look like and how their services are offered.
January 2020
This month my Fulbright friends in Indianapolis celebrated my friend Anna’s birthday, another Fulbrighter from Ukraine. This single table is a gathering of people from the United States, Ukraine, Spain, Ecuador, Egypt, and the West Bank!
February 2020
This is me with my academic advisor, Dr. Fadda, and Matt, a research scientist from Eli Lilly and Company. This picture was taken after a discussion session about drug development which was part of my academic program in the pharmaceutical sciences at Butler University. I’ve learned a lot from both!
March 2020
I took these pictures in downtown Indianapolis just a few days before the quarantine. Indy is a very beautiful place that anyone would love to visit, especially at night with all the lights!
After almost 9 months since the end of our pre-academic program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, we decided to have a reunion using Zoom. Thankfully technology is making our life easier, especially in this current situation of the COVID-19, where everything has moved to the virtual online world!
April 2020
Stay healthy and safe by practicing social distancing. I decided to start a new healthy lifestyle. I got a bike and started to ride in nature and between the trees of Indianapolis in order to break the daily routine, get some fresh air, and maintain good fitness!
August 2020
These are pictures of me with some of my friends enjoying a bike ride in Indianapolis, Indiana. The lockdown was hard, and we needed to keep a healthy lifestyle by biking and doing some sports!
September 2020
This is when I had to say goodbye to my friend Mohammed Ramadan, a Fulbrighter from Egypt, before he left to go back to his home. We had a great time together, studying in the pharmaceutical sciences master’s program at Butler University. We have great memories together that we will always remember for the rest of our lives!
October 2020:
As a board member of the International Club at Butler University, we worked together to do a special pumpkin event. We got pumpkins and enjoyed painting and carving them during the Halloween.
December 2020:
These pictures are of me and some of my cousins I met for the first time in my life, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in Houston, Texas. Thanks to Fulbright, I had the chance to meet them for the first time and spend time with them!
February 2021:
After I got back to Indiana from Texas, I met my friend Luis, a Fulbrighter from Ecuador who is doing his Master’s at Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). We enjoyed our time In Indianapolis (Downtown Indy). It was great to see him again.
March 2021:
This is me enjoying the snow in Indianapolis, Indiana. The snow in Indiana is great and I always enjoy the snow out in nature and between the trees!
Fouad is a Fulbright Student from West Bank. He is studying Pharmaceutical Sciences at Butler University.
