Arab-American Is University's
International Understanding Award Honoree
Rudy Gharib to be honored for her personal contributions in
increasing international understanding through leadership activities
on campus with clubs and university-sponsored programs.
May 23, 2005 :: No. 214
When Rudy Gharib speaks about international
relations, she speaks from the heart, as well as from experience.
The graduating Cal State Fullerton student
and first-generation Arab-American was a freshman in her second
week at the university when planes hurtled into the World
Trade Center in New York. Although she had often thought about
being Arab in Southern California, she says it was that singular
incident that gave her a sense of duty, a reason for being
where she is.
“As tragic as 9/11 was, it really woke
up something in me about the importance of developing a better
understanding between my culture and this country,”
she says, adding that she had a relative who worked in the
World Trade Center and just happened to be outside it when
the planes hit. “It’s a duty to have the Arab
culture seen in a positive way.”
Gharib, who graduates this month with a bachelor’s
degree in the majors of political science and communications,
is this year’s recipient of the university’s International
Understanding Award, which recognizes personal contributions
to increase international understanding through leadership
activities on campus with clubs and university-sponsored programs.
Less than a year after 9/11, Gharib traveled
to Egypt as an exchange student at the American University
in Cairo. On the first anniversary of the attack, she took
part in a transatlantic dialogue between students from Cairo
and America. She also gained her first professional experiences
as a journalist, writing features and articles about events
and people from the university for local Egyptian newspapers.
This semester, she worked as the opinion editor for the Daily
Titan, the university’s student newspaper.
In addition to her studies, Gharib was a member
of Cal State Fullerton’s award-winning Model United
Nations delegation and a student director at the American
Model UN in Chicago last fall. For nearly two years, she worked
as a student assistant in the International Education and
Exchange Office and discussed international politics and the
importance of cultural understanding on several campus panels.
She also co-founded the Middle Eastern Society, a student
organization on campus.
Off campus, the Fontana resident is a leader
for a troop of Brownies, all Muslim and many, like herself,
are first-generation Arab-Americans. She takes them camping
and to plays, but notes that what she really does is serve
as a role model, helping them find links between their heritage
and the community where they live.
“I’ve always felt that I live in
two distinct worlds — Egyptian and American —
and I used to try to keep them separate,” she says.
Not anymore.
“Whatever I do, wherever I go, I will
continue to strive to make a link between my two worlds, to
create better understanding,” Gharib says. This summer,
she will serve as an intern at the Arab-American Institute
in Washington, D.C., and she hopes to obtain a master’s
degree in Middle Eastern studies.
Gharib will be honored on Friday, May 27, during
the university’s annual Honors Convocation. The university’s
commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday, May 28,
and Sunday, May 29.
Media Contact: |
Pamela McLaren of Public Affairs at
657-278-4852 or pmclaren@fullerton.edu |
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