Jordan , Middle East and North Africa , Montclair State University
Each year as Muslims, we celebrate the holy month of Ramadan with fasting, praying, remembering the less fortunate, hanging the sparkly decorations on our windows, having family gatherings, and late-night visits, but this year doing all of these is impossible. The recent global pandemic forced us to ditch what we are used to; this severe situation has made social distancing, …
University of Missouri , University of Missouri - St. Louis
My name is Kusha Gurung, and I completed my community service hours at Mother of Good Counsel, a Catholic nursing home. Currently, the nursing home takes care of 68 residents. I still remember the first day of orientation when Sister Juliana introduced us to all the staff members and residents of the nursing home who welcomed us with bright smiles. …
Mongolia , New Mexico Highlands University
My name is Battur Ulziinyam and I am from Mongolia. Now I study in the New Mexico Highlands University in New Mexico State. Here everything is very different from what I was expecting when I received an email that I was chosen for Global UGRAD from the U.S. Embassy. The campus is shut down and I am in my dorm …
University of Central Missouri
As many spring semester Global UGRADs were, I was excited to come to the United States. I was daydreaming about the fascinating conversations I would have even before arriving. “Where is your luggage?” This was the first question I was asked again and again as I moved from the airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the new …
Please enjoy these photos of current Global UGRAD participants perfecting the art of the spring selfie! We hope they inspire you to get outside and safely enjoy nature. From left to right and top to bottom, these students are: Linara at University of Missouri-St. Louis, Sitora at University of Southern Indiana, Suzana at University of South Dakota, Baltazar at Troy …
Alumni , Eurasia , Serbia , Wright State University
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 2020, Milica Knezevic, a Global UGRAD alumna (2017-18), is using discussions about COVID-19 quarantines and curfews to raise awareness of about the lives of people with disabilities in Serbia. A wheelchair user since the age of 15, Milica has become a prominent disability rights activist …
Academic Exchange , american connections , Middle East and North Africa , University of Missouri , University of Missouri - St. Louis
During my first few days in the United States, I was struggling to engage and connect with people. Eventually, I met students who shared the same interests and hobbies with me and had a group of people I could call my friends. Later on, I started to think of the hardest thing about being new at a university or college. …