GSDM AS Students Participate in International Education Week

On Wednesday, November 18, and Thursday, November 19, 2015, several Advanced Standing (AS) students from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) participated in events during the Fourth Annual International Education Week (IEW), which took place from November 16-20 on Boston University’s Charles River Campus and Medical Campus.

A total of seven AS students participated in the IEW. The AS student participants were Ramy Allam AS 16; William Alvarez AS 16; Housam Karazoun AS 18; Ana Keohane AS 16; Mira Khouzam AS 16; Vrushali Mirajkar AS 16; Akram Sannaa AS 16. Ahmad Alalwan, a foreign trained dentist from Syria and friend of many of GSDM’s AS student volunteers, also volunteered his time at the events.

All seven of the AS students, and Alalwan, spent three hours—from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.—on Wednesday, November 18 and Thursday, November 19, answering questions about GSDM and the School’s AS program at a booth at the George Sherman Union on Commonwealth Avenue. The AS student volunteers answered questions from passersby about both the AS program and their experiences as foreign trained dentists currently studying in the United States.

Many people stopped by to ask the AS students questions about the program and their experiences.

“It was a great opportunity for us to represent GSDM in the International Education Week. Having the booth in the George Sherman Union allowed us to interact with so many different students in the main campus, tell them about our dental school experience and invite them to visit our School and learn more about us,” said Akram Sannaa AS 16.

The second and final event that the GSDM AS students participated in was a special panel event titled “Diverse Global Student Experience: Are You Next?” which took place at the Boston University Castle on Bay State Road. While many AS students were in the audience of the panel showing their support, just two AS students—Ramy Allam and Akram Sannaa—were able to participate in the panel that also included seven undergraduate students at Boston University who had various international experiences.

The panel was moderated by Ms. Carolina Sopper, Assistant Director of International Student Initiatives at Boston University, and Meg Andrews, University Relations and Campus Outreach Specialist. The two moderators asked questions to all nine of the panelists about their experiences. Allam and Sannaa were asked several questions directly and as a group.

Allam, born in Egypt, earned his first dental degree from Cairo University in 2005. He took an active part in the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 and, in 2013, moved to the United States with his wife, Nehar Serry DMD 16.

Sannaa, born in Syria, graduated from Aleppo University in Syria in 2011. Before moving to the United States in 2012, Sannaa traveled and lived in France, Turkey, and several Middle Eastern Countries.

Sannaa spoke at the panel about several of the experiences he has had as a foreigner living and studying in the United States.

He spoke about one instance in particular, in which he experienced prejudice while working behind the counter of a pharmacy. Sannaa asked a customer, named Jennifer to spell her name so he could look it up in the database—while he was fluent in English at the time, his understanding of the spelling of English names was limited. The woman refused to spell her name and responded by saying, “No, I am not going to spell my name for you, if you don’t know how to spell it, you shouldn’t be here wasting my time.” Sannaa said that at that moment he realized that sometimes he will be going through this type of experience and he shouldn’t let prejudice bring him down or allow for people to underestimate his abilities due to a language barrier.

While he spoke about this instance of prejudice in the United States, Sannaa also spoke fondly of the freedom of expression he enjoys while living in the country. “When I came here I felt completely free,” said Sannaa. In Syria, and elsewhere, Sannaa said he sometimes felt he had to watch what he said, but in the United States he found freedom of expression was highly valued.

When the moderator asked Sannaa to give any advice for anyone thinking of studying abroad, he answered with a part of a poem his grandfather taught him: “Travel … in traveling you gain five things: new education, new ethics, new languages, more money, and more friends.”

Allam also spoke about many of the various experiences he has had since moving to the United States in 2013. He spoke at length about his appreciation for the diversity of American culture.

One specific challenge Allam spoke about was the difficulty he experiences while expressing himself in English. While he speaks English fluently, Allam talked about the relationship between the process of generating ideas and the language you are using. He said he still feels as if he needs to generate many of his ideas in Arabic and he finds it hard to translate the ideas quickly.

“Things have to be said in a certain way, otherwise it could be misunderstood due to the different cultural reference in the way you structure your sentence,” said Allam when talking about the process with which he expresses himself in English being an Arabic native speaker.

The rest of the panel event involved the moderators asking the other panelists about several different international experiences they have had. The other members of the panel consisted of seven undergraduate students who had spent time overseas in various study abroad programs with Boston University.

When one of the two moderators asked Sannaa about what he learned from his experience, Sannaa said, “Now I believe that individual power can initiate change.” He continued, “I believe one day I can help build a new health system in Syria or at least a hospital.”

Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter extended his support to Allam, Sannaa, and all the AS students taking part in the IEW.

“I would like to extend a thank you to all the AS students who took part  in the International Education Week events, and specifically Ramy Allam and Akram Sannaa for their wonderful participation in the panel event,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “GSDM is incredibly fortunate to have so many international students, and I am truly pleased that some of our AS students volunteered to share their experiences with others.”

Photos from the IEW can be found on Facebook and Flickr.