Fulbright scholars from Egypt study at EdCC

Published 10:34 pm Thursday, October 8, 2009

Seventeen Fulbright scholars from Egypt are making themselves at home at Edmonds Community College for the next year.

The students already hold bachelor’s degrees from Egyptian universities and are here to gain technical skills to take back to their homeland. They also spent their first month in the area with host families and are learning about American culture and improving their English language skills.

The students, who grew up studying English, said they got to know American students during their schooling in Egypt, but living in the United States makes for a different experience.

“I try to give people that I’m meeting things about my background, my culture. Which does not mean I’m going to lose my culture or my background, but that I’m going to add new stuff, new things to my culture which is going to be a good experience,” said Mahmoud Ahmed, 24, of Zagazig, the capital of Egypt’s Sharqiyah Province. “I’m not going to force anyone to know what my culture is or what my background is but just deal with who I am to give them a (sense) of who our people are.”

Ahmed, who works in construction in Egypt, is studying construction management at the college. He worked mainly with concrete and steel in Egypt and plans to learn more about wood construction here.

Mohamed Khater, 23, of Giza, is in the medical laboratory assistant program at Edmonds. He works in Giza’s National Blood Transfusion Center.

Other students, including Feby Mekhael of El-Minya, are in the business administration program.

The Egyptian students are here as part of a state department program and applied for their scholarships several months before President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo in June that discussed the United States’ role in the Muslim world.

The students, who live in Rainier Place, a new residence hall on campus, are enrolled in classes and will finish internships in their respective fields in the spring.

The visit isn’t all work — the students have had time to explore, too. They’ve spent time in Seattle visiting sights and taking other side trips. Khater said he had been ice skating, visited the Snoqualmie National Forest and the beaches of Edmonds, and he plans a trip to Bellingham.

“We really appreciate having so many students from so many different backgrounds come here, not just international students but all the populations of students we have come here,” EdCC spokeswoman Michele Graves said. “It’s really good to be able to have these students tell us about Egypt and that culture and be part of what President Obama mentioned. We’re going to bridge the worlds a bit, and Edmonds Community College is part of that.”