An Egyptian exchange student reflects on valuable discoveries
–by Michael Abdallah
One of the great opportunities I have had since I came to the United States was when I was chosen by the Student Senate to go on a trip to Washington D.C. with Kirkwood Community College’s president, staff and the Board of Trustees. I was one of six students representing Kirkwood on this trip. The chosen students were members of Kirkwood Student Senate who represent different clubs at Kirkwood.
The main purpose of this trip was to lobby and advocate with US senators and congressmen for more funding for community colleges. Kirkwood likes to bring students to represent the student body. First, we had many meetings with representatives of some non-governmental organizations who work closely with Kirkwood. I met with Mr. John Sedlins, branch manager for the Department of State. We also went to Capitol Hill, where we met with Iowa’s senators and congressmen, including Sen. Chuck Grassley and Congressman David Loebsack, and the staff of Sen. Thomas Harkin.
In addition, we had many chances to visit some great places. The best one, in my opinion, was when we went to the Capitol with a guide who explained to us many things regarding the history of the Capitol. At the end of this tour we went to the Senate Gallery. We were lucky that we went while the Senate was discussing the Stimulus Bill. The session we were attending was the last session; the senators were voting for either closing the discussion or not. I am so glad I was in this session to see how the voting system works in Congress, especially for this very important bill.
We had time for entertainment, too. Kirkwood’s president invited us many times to have dinner with him, the staff and the Board of Trustees. One of those times, Congressman Loebsack and his wife joined us. It was a great chance to have different kinds of conversation with the Board and staff, asking them how they are planning for the future of the college, and having some funny talks with them as well.
We had the chance to do some sightseeing. We took an open-top bus tour. I saw almost all of the important places from this bus. My advisor took a picture of me when the bus was passing in front of my country embassy, Egypt.
This trip was one of my highlights in the USA. I enjoyed spending a week with the Board of Trustees and the staff, and I have learned a lot. I will definitely remember this trip for many years to come.
[Michael Abdallah was part of a contingent of students who attended Kirkwood Community College as part of an exchange program through the U.S. Department of State and Community Colleges for International Development. This article originally appeared in the CCID organization newsletter.]