Our Alumni

Alumni

Degree: BA, Arabic & Finance

AFP Graduation: Spring 2011

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Student, Cornell Law School

My Greatest AFP Achievement: By the time I left Syria, I felt like I was starting to fit in there – I made some great local friends and had become accustomed to life there. After feeling like a total foreigner (lost, confused, etc.) when I first arrived in Syria, I found the process of slowly finding my way around very rewarding.

What I Learned from the AFP: I learned a fun language and experienced different cultures.

Degree: BA, Arabic Language & Literature, minor in Linguistics

AFP Graduation: Spring 2009

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Resident Director, CET Intensive Arabic Language and Culture Studies in Irbid, Jordan

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Getting mistaken for a Syrian here in Jordan!

What I Learned from the AFP: Arabic. Lots and lots of Arabic.

Degree: BA, Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies

AFP Graduation: Spring 2010

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Linguist with AECOM, contracting for the Federal Government

My Greatest AFP Achievement: I didn’t expect to get Superior on the ACTFL.

What I Learned from the AFP: Patience in operating in a country far different than America.

Degree: BA, Arabic

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Linguistics

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Government and Sociology

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Arabic, History, Middle Eastern Studies with Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies

AFP Graduation: Summer 2011

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Research Associate with The University of Texas at Austin; Teacher of a college Arabic dual-credit course to high school students

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Completing a translation internship at Damascus University in the Office of Contracts and Legal Documents.

What I Learned from the AFP: Participating in the AFP truly taught me both the meaning and value of hard work!

Degree: BA, Economics and Middle Eastern Studies, minor in Arabic

AFP Graduation: Summer 2011

Study Abroad: Summer program in Alexandria, Egypt and Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Business Analyst with Deloitte Consulting LLP

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Linguistics and Arabic

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt and Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Middle Eastern Studies

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Arabic Language & Literature, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies and English.

AFP Graduation: Spring 2010

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: M.A Candidate in Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures, The University of Texas at Austin

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Conducting a series interviews in Arabic with Egyptian intellectuals as well as research in Arab cultural journal archives that informed my thesis project.

What I Learned from the AFP: We cannot understand other cultures and peoples until we deeply learn their languages.

Degree: BA, Psychology Honors and minor in Arabic and English

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Arabic Language & Literature, Middle Eastern Studies and Government, minor in African and African-American Studies

AFP Graduation: Spring 2011

Study Abroad: Summer program in Alexandria, Egypt and Capstone Year in Damacus, Syria

Current Position: ESL Instructor with Berlitz

My Greatest AFP Achievement: I was volunteering at an orphanage and on that particular day was family day. I speaking to one of the relatives of my student for a few minutes and he finally asked me where I was from. When I told him I was from America, he said, “Oh, I thought you were from Syria!” I felt victorious!

What I Learned from the AFP:  You get out what you put in. If you want results, you have to work hard for them. Also, life is what you make it. Whatever situation you find yourself in, your attitude can make it a good or bad one.

 

Katie Jernigan

Degree: BA, Government and Middle Eastern Studies

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Arabic Language & Literature

AFP Graduation: Summer 2011

Study Abroad: Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Graduate Student, University of Texas at Austin

My Greatest AFP Achievement: I believe that my greatest AFP achievement lies in successfully negotiating the cultural and academic rigors of the Capstone Year abroad.

What I Learned from the AFP: I gained a greater cultural and linguistic appreciation through my time spent in Damascus.

Degree: BA, Arabic and French

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Religious Studies and English

AFP Graduation: Summer 2011

Study Abroad: Current Position: Summer program in Alexandria, Egypt and Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Reading my first book in Arabic was a big deal for me.

What I Learned from the AFP: I learned that studying Arabic is as rewarding as it is difficult. Also the best way to start a research paper in Arabic is with a grape sheesha and a turkish coffee.

Degree: BA, Plan II Honors and Government

AFP Graduation: Spring 2009

Study Abroad: Capstone Year in Alexandria, Egypt

Current Position: Research Assistant, Center for Advanced Study of Language

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Being able to read (and actually enjoy!) Arabic novels with relative ease.

What I Learned from the AFP: Despite our outward differences, the world is full of people who all want the same things. Also, there is no greater falafel than Egyptian falafel.

Degree: BA, History and Middle Eastern Studies

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad: Capstone Year in Alexandria, Egypt

Current Position: Graduate Student, University of Maryland at College Park

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Middle Eastern Studies, Plan II Honors and French

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: MA, Arabic and Persian

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position:

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Middle Eastern Studies and Liberal Arts Honors

AFP Graduation:

Study Abroad:

Current Position: Student, Baylor Law School

My Greatest AFP Achievement:

What I Learned from the AFP:

Degree: BA, Government, Arabic Language & Literature, minor in French

AFP Graduation: Spring 2010

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Arabic Lecturer at the George Washington University; MA in International Affairs Candidate at the Elliott School of International Affairs, expected graduation May 2013

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Linguistically, my greatest achievement was probably the first time I was successfully and intentionally witty in conversation.

What I Learned from the AFP: Besides learning Arabic, of course, my experiences in the U.S. and abroad with the AFP taught me a great deal about patience, flexibility, humility, and compassion.

Degree: BA, Arabic Language & Literature

AFP Graduation: Summer 2010

Study Abroad: Summer in Damascus, Syria & Capstone Year in Damascus, Syria

Current Position: Teacher at an assimilation center for the disabled in Damascus

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Surviving it and in the process finding another home across the globe!

What I Learned from the AFP: I learned cultural nuances, during my capstone year, that did not fully make sense at the time until I lived here in Damascus as an expat. I can also say that after having come back on my own dime and having lived the real Syrian day-to-day life, my AFP experience was way waaaay candy-coated. There is too much to absorb from a different language, culture, country to be crammed into one year. Its been a fascinating journey, and I’m still learning more everyday! Thanks AFP for giving me the push in the right direction!

Degree: BA, Linguistics

AFP Graduation: Spring 2009

Study Abroad: Capstone Year in Alexandria, Egypt

Current Position: Software Developer at Neuric, LLC

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Making hand slap worthy jokes in Arabic

What I Learned from the AFP: How to be more open to ideas and world views I had never before considered.

Degree: BA, Arabic Language and Literature

AFP Graduation: Spring 2009

Study Abroad: Summer in Alexandria, Egypt & Capstone Year in Alexandria, Egypt

Current Position: Division Vice President Marketing with ebQuickstart

My Greatest AFP Achievement: Traveling by myself in the breaks between semesters and communicating with Arabs without help.

What I Learned from the AFP: Cultural diversity and the mind-opening experience of learning another language.