A Year in the Fulbright Life showcases selected Fulbright MENA participants’ program year, month by month, in the United States.
August 2019
My very first stop in the United States: New York! Having lived in Cairo -a city of 20 million people- all my life, I always thought I’d find New York pretty much ordinary. I had no idea I’d spend my entire stay awed by all that this city has to offer, feeling as fascinated (and as tiny) as a five-year-old.
I loved being surrounded by 5,000 years of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Everything from the exhibit of Native American art to the design process behind the CAMP exhibit was incredibly enlightening. I left the museum with at least a hundred new facts, and an urge to create!
This is me wandering the streets of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Taking in all the beautiful colors from walls packed with murals by artists from around the world.
Whenever I worried about leaving home and everyone I know behind to start my Fulbright journey, my mentor would always say: “Think of all the lives you are going to walk into within the next year, all the lives you are going to change and all the lives that are going to change you”. Little did I know, within a week of my arrival I’d meet 60 new amazing souls from 50 different countries and establish bonds that could last a lifetime within 3 days in Moscow, Idaho! Even though my Fulbright journey is just beginning, I’m positive the gateway program will easily be one of my unforgettable highlights.
I was supposed to be starting my Master’s this month at SCAD and settle in Savannah but because of Hurricane Dorian, I’m “stuck” in Los Angeles but I’m making the most of it!
September 2019
This is my first picture on the beautiful SCAD campus on orientation day. After the hurricane Dorian scare, this is a smile of relief for finally starting the quarter only two days late!
Here is a picture with the beautiful Fulbrighters attending SCAD. I couldn’t contain my excitement when I learned that there are six of us (picture is unfortunately missing one!). Our meet and greet was organized by our amazing international advisor Jeff, bringing together Pakistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Lithuania, and Rwanda.
Two weeks into the quarter and I’m already proposing my eventual thesis topic: looking into different approaches to design education and how emerging models can be applied to higher education back in Egypt. Although my MA is still far from being done, I can’t wait to officially publish a topic I’ve been waiting years to address!
Who said graduate students can’t have fun on the weekends? This was our first outing as Design Management MA students, exploring the beautiful roof-top restaurants across Savannah.
This would be my absolute favorite picture from September. Here I’m with my roommate, who is now like a sister, and our puppy in our back yard on a play date with our neighbor’s dog. Looking at this makes me feel like I can genuinely call Savannah home!
October 2019
Design management = endless sticky notes! This is what our working board looked like preparing for midterms week. My partners Akshaya, Goutham, and I were collecting data points trying to map millennials‘ behaviors towards screen time.
To celebrate the end of midterms week, my friend and I drove 7 hours to Miami and did something I never imagined myself doing: skydiving! While falling from 10,000 feet above Miami, my instructor screamed, “welcome to my office!” It was truly the most exhilarating experience.
On our way back, we stopped at the Kennedy Space Centerin Orlando, Florida and got up close to space shuttle Atlantis!
November 2019
In November, my institution was hosting the SCAD Film Festival, the largest university-run film festival in the country! For two weeks I had the chance to attend several panels on creative writing and filmmaking, as well as many of the truly inspiring movies featured.
While finals week approached, I started wrapping up my research on design education in Egypt. Here I am presenting my findings on design in Ancient Egypt and how it influenced the development of Western art and design.
After a week of all-nighters, the last day of classes was bitter sweet. Even though we’re already registered for more classes together next quarter, I’ll miss working with my group mates. All smiles for our post-final-presentation picture!
Before flying home for winter break, I flew to Michigan to visit my cousins. In only 3 days I got to visit the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the MoCAD, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. I also got to see brilliant murals while driving through Detroit, and most importantly met the artist behind the Heidelberg Project (Tyree Guyton, on the far left), a man with a mission to improve the lives of people by bringing them together through art.
December 2019
For winter break, I decided to fly home to surprise my friends and family. It was so much fun planning a series of surprises, and of course being reunited with all the happy faces!
Not only did I get to spend Christmas with family, but I also got to celebrate my birthday surrounded by the people I love most.
Getting the chance to sleep in and relax for a month left me energized and ready to fly back to Savannah. I am looking forward to my next two quarters!
January 2020
This is one of my most prized possessions! When I mentioned to my amazing design management professor that I’m a huge fan of the legendary graphic designer Paul Rand, he came back the following class with one of Rand’s original prints for me to keep! Such a great start to the quarter.
My teammates in my Design Innovation course and I are currently working on a framework that would increase engagement in National Parks in the city. For our preliminary research phase, we went on a visit to Savannah’s famous Wormsloe Historic State Park which was home to Noble Jones (1701–1775), one of Savannah’s earliest settlers. His original home, now named Tabby Ruins, is thought to be the oldest standing site in Savannah! Our topic choice definitely made the research phase fun!
This is a tree we came across while hiking. It was knocked down during a hurricane hundreds of years ago and is still alive and thriving today!
This is how we spend most of our nights after collecting data points. Endless sticky notes and hours of data synthesis. Work, work, work!
Last weekend, I had the best cooked meal since I came to Savannah. Our classmate hosted this amazing Indian dinner and we all got to indulge! We spent the night catching up, and later singing to a classmate’s Ukulele.
February 2020
This month, I started working on a new research project regarding creative business leaders and what sets them apart from other leaders. It’s brilliant how much you get to learn working within a multidisciplinary team.
My classmates and I participated in the SCAD career fair, an event we spent weeks preparing our resumes and portfolios for. Afterwards, I decided to host a party to celebrate our successful job hunt and our friend Mizbah’s birthday!
By the end of February, we were approaching finals week! My amazing group was super excited to reveal the name and branding for our project during our final pitch.
March 2020
On the last day of the winter quarter, my friend Michelle and I received $25 gift cards from our professor for getting the highest bids on our business!
We celebrated our friend Disha’s birthday on the last day of the quarter in a beautiful park. Little did we know, this would be the last time we’d all meet up before the pandemic. We all can’t wait to be reunited again!
April 2020
Although I missed seeing these happy faces in-person, getting to see my classmates and meet everyone’s pet on Zoom made the spring semester fun!
Getting used to the lockdown was not easy, but my roommate and I tried to make the best of it. With attempts at cooking, board games, puzzles, and bike rides to the park when we weren’t on Zoom, we managed to keep the boredom unnoticeable most of the time.
May 2020
In May, I got placed on a repatriation flight back to Egypt. Although it was hard making the decision to leave Savannah for the summer, knowing September isn’t too far away made it a tad easier. This is a picture of the house I have lived in for the past year. My roommates and I call it the watermelon!
Here is a post card I received from one of my friends in Savannah before leaving! Social distancing won’t the stop heartwarming good byes!
Two weeks of quarantine on the beach came at the perfect time! There is no better place to focus than an empty beach where I was able to work on my thesis presentation.
This is the moment I found out I passed my thesis proposal, quarantined in my hotel room all the way in Egypt. I’ve envisioned this moment a hundred times, but never like this; I was happier than I’ve ever imagined!
Hania is a Fulbright Student from Egypt. She is studying design management at Savannah College of Art and Design.
