Hue Duong Trong is a Master’s student in Communication Studies from Vietnam. He received a BSc degree in Vietnam and a graduate degree in Switzerland in developmental studies. He has worked with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and United Nations agencies in injuries prevention and social advocacy programs. His research focuses on the evolution of non-governmental organization’s communication strategies and community-based health campaigns.

He is sponsored by the Fulbright Program. Before arriving here in 2007, he did not have a clear idea about UNI or the Midwest, but he says the UNI Communication Studies faculty members inspire intellectual curiosity and care about students’ academic advancement. The distance between professors and students is very different between Vietnam and the United States. Here, the relationship is much closer and open. Although he says, “I had the coldest winter ever in my life at UNI,” and his family couldn’t believe he could walk to class with a temperature below -20 degrees Celsius, he enjoys the Fall colors, especially around the Campanile. Following the news back home and in the US, specifically the presidential elections, he feels lucky to be in America during such a historic time. He noticed the “heat of this election” when travelling around the United States a year ago. His experiences off-campus, travelling and socializing with Americans, have broken stereotypes, opened his mind, and enriched his understanding of America. He is “still amazed by how different people from different cultures have intermingled and shared their wisdom to make this country a world power.”

Ahlam Al-Selwi is an MA student in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is from Yemen and has a BA in English literature. After receiving her MA she would like to pursue a PhD and then teach at a university in Yemen. Having taught English for more than four years, she says it, “creates doors of opportunities to young adults for a promising future.” Young adults in Yemen face many challenges and obstacles in the work force and the educational system. As a teacher, she feels she can help effect change.

As a Fulbright scholar sponsored by the U.S. State Department, she was advised to choose UNI because of the excellent education program. She finds the Rod Library to be “the most fascinating thing on campus” because of the study environment and the good books to browse, especially in the youth department. Although the weather is too cold for her, she does enjoy seeing wild deer and rabbits around and seeing people doing outdoor sports when the weather is nice. She was surprised by the organization when people walk here, forming lines on the left and right on open paths. She was also surprised by the friendliness and hospitality she has been met with in Iowa.