My hometown is located in Alexandria, Egypt.
In 2010, I came to the US as an 8th grader and have been here ever since. I have resided in Harrisburg, PA all these years and when it came time for college, I chose to attend Millersville University because it is accredited in my majors (Marketing and International Business) and it also offered the minor that I was looking for (Computer Science). Millersville is also only 45 minutes away from my home in Harrisburg, which made it convenient to move back and forth without having to spend so many hours on the road. Millersville is also very affordable when compared to other universities, yet it offers the same challenging courses as those universities for a much cheaper price tag. Finally, Millersville has a great culture that promotes positive interactions with the local community and raises awareness about international events, diseases, social causes, and so much more, which made me even more excited to attend Millersville.
In Millersville, I have attended the Barnstormers baseball game at the beginning of the Fall 2017 semester with other international students and it was a great opportunity to meet new people. The highlight of my time here in Millersville so far is definitely the Multicultural Showcase. In the showcase, I was manning the stand for Egypt, where I educated other people on my country, its famous foods, culture, language, and other information that makes Egypt such a unique country. It was a wonderful experience showing people the rich history of my country and having them engaged in the conversation and clearing any misconception that they had about it. I also learned about different cultures there such as Jamaica, Australia, and France among others. The highlight of the showcase, however, were the dancers and musicians that were on the stage during that time. It was delightful seeing different cultures through their music and dancing and I really had a great time in the showcase.
I came to the US to achieve personal, academic, and professional goals. My personal goals were that I wanted to experience a different country that I have admired ever since I was a child and become more open minded as I, someone from a different country, interact with people here in the US and understand their customs and traditions. My academic goals are that I want to excel in school, obtain my degree with honors, and learn valuable information that I will be able to use for the rest of my life. My professional goals are to work for a global Fortune 500 company in a corporate culture to contribute my international skills and provide a new perspective into the organization. I am working towards these goals everyday by enhancing and diversifying my skill set to make myself a more appealing job candidate and set myself apart from the competition.
One cultural thing that I learned in the US is how many national holidays are celebrated here! It’s great to see so many occasions where people get together, celebrate, and enjoy their time together with friends and family.
My one thing that I would to share with the campus community is, although I was tempted to, I did not ride camels to school every day. I also did not live in pyramids, but I plan on building my future house in the shape of a pyramid.
In all seriousness, there is a misconception in the US that Egypt is not a safe country, when in fact it is. It is very safe to travel there, enjoy the sights, and experience the rich history and culture through tourism, which operates year round!
