A student from Libya shares his thoughts on studying at Luther College

President Tump's executive order temporarily banning travel for people entering the United States from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia has certainly stirred up a lot of emotion and debate, but it has direct effects on the six Luther College students who hail from these countries.

One of these students is a junior from Libya named Abdul Hakam. Abdul was born and raised in Libya, but spent the last two years of high school completing his International Baccalaureate diploma at Atlantic College in Wales. Atlantic College is one of 17 United World College (UWC) schools. According to the UWC website, UWC brings students together from all over the world at a pre-university level to live together in an environment designed to foster international understanding, tolerance and peace. It was during his time at Atlantic College that Abdul first learned of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.  

Luther's Center for Global Learning and International Admissions Executive Director Jon Lund had traveled to Wales to do some recruiting, and while doing so, Luther caught Abdul's attention.  Luther was exactly the kind of school he was looking for - a liberal arts college with Midwest values like integrity and honesty that is open-minded and accepting of all people.  Adbul says Luther has definitely met his expectations.

Abdul began his studies at Luther in 2014 and he has not been home since (he even missed his sister's wedding). He is a junior studying management and economics and he is very happy to be in Decorah.  He intentionally chose to study abroad because he wanted to get out of his comfort zone, broaden his horizons, and challenge himself. He specifically chose to study in America because it has conservative values yet is open-minded and diverse.

Diversity is something Abdul really appreciates about Luther. He says he has friends on both ends of the political spectrum and he has found they can dialogue, learn from each other, and reach common ground respectfully. He says he appreciates that Luther emphasizes diversity and engaging people from all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Abdul's family appreciates this as well. Like most Libyans, Abdul's family is Muslim, but they have encouraged him to take it all in and learn everything he can while he is in the United States.  

Adbul says he feels he has an obligation to return to Libya eventually. His goal is to make the most of his time at Luther and learn all he can while he is in the U.S. so that ultimately he can return to Libya and contribute to his community.