Two AUB Students Chosen for US-sponsored Exchange Program

Two AUB students were selected for an all-expenses-paid semester abroad in the United States as part of the newly created US State Department initiative, the Near East and South Asia Undergraduate Exchange Program, which is administered by the American Embassy.

The students, Maher Kanso from engineering and Nicholas Khattar from health sciences, left for the United States in mid-August. There, they will spend the next four months interacting with Americans, telling them about life in Lebanon and enjoying a unique cultural experience that the State Department hopes will bring the two peoples closer together. "If people understand each others' cultures, this will increase their tolerance of each other," said Maggie Teen, cultural affairs specialist at the US Embassy in Lebanon. The exchange program is designed to send diverse groups of emerging student leaders from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia to study at major US colleges or universities to gain valuable academic and cross-cultural experience.

Ten students from Lebanon were chosen to participate in the exchange program, among a total of about 150 students from 21 Near Eastern countries, including 18 Arab countries.

The students will follow courses in their field and be exposed to American culture and people. They will also be expected to engage in some community service near their university.

In a recent telephone interview, Kanso, a third-year student of computer and communications engineering, who will be visiting the United States for the first time, commented, "I think it will be a good experience, both culturally and educationally." Kanso has been placed in Jackson State University in Mississippi. "My parents are very excited, though naturally worried," he said, but added, "My only concern was to make sure I could take the courses I needed so as not to fall behind in my studies."

Khattar, a second-year medical lab student, will be spending his semester at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina, which will also be his first opportunity to visit the United States. He had already left the country when contacted, so his mother described how he reacted when he received news of his acceptance. Again, concern over academics was dominant. "He wanted to be sure that he could take the required medical lab/premed courses he needed," she said. "When things worked out, we were really happy he could make it."