Posted 1:05 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, 2015
Sania Sajjad had long held the stereotype that Americans are not family oriented. So the international student from Pakistan was shocked to see the thousands of American students moving into UW-La Crosse residence halls this past weekend with help from their families.
Sania Sajjad had long held the stereotype that Americans are not family oriented. So the international student from Pakistan was shocked to see the thousands of American students moving into UW-La Crosse residence halls this past weekend with help from their families.
Parents were everywhere hugging their children and helping them move boxes. Her roommate even called her father to get his feedback on which welcome week event she should attend.
“I thought families would not be a part of their children’s lives at all,” she explains.
The experience made her realize American families are a lot more like families back home in Pakistan than she imagined.
Breaking down cultural stereotypes is just one of the goals of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Pakistan, also called Global UGRAD-Pakistan. Sajjad and Mohammad Jamil are two students from Pakistan spending the semester at UWL to get educational training in their fields and volunteer and give cultural presentations in the La Crosse community — all the while learning more about American culture, which they’ll share back at home. Ultimately, program participants become citizen ambassadors who support expanded diplomatic and development partnerships between countries.
The highly-competitive program attracts about 6,000 applicants across Pakistan. Sajjad and Jamil were two of the 250 students accepted to come to schools in the U.S.
The two explain that in their country children are encouraged to maintain close ties with their families throughout life and care for their parents as they age, so leaving the country to study in college can pose a challenge. But, in both cases, their families were extremely supportive, recognizing the prestige of the program and opportunities it offered their children.
Jamil, who aims to eventually become a medical doctor, is taking courses in biology and community health education and also looking to volunteer to help elderly patients at Mayo Clinic Health System – Franciscan Healthcare. After finishing medical school in Pakistan, he wants to return to the U.S. for his residency because of the competitive advantage having U.S. training can offer in his field.
Sajjad will study in her field of economics and is looking at volunteering at the local humane society, an organization that doesn’t exist in her country. She loves caring for animals and dreams of one day opening up an animal shelter in Pakistan.
While their educational training is just beginning, the two have already had a strong cultural immersion thanks to the open and inviting nature of the people they’ve met. They’ve been introduced to campus resources, Grandad Bluff and even s'mores.
“They were yummy,” says Sajjad. “I like the part where you roast it.”
Moreover they’ve been impressed with how friendly the people are on campus, always opening doors and smiling. They hope to leave people with a similar impression of their character as they participate in campus life, volunteer in the community and give cultural presentations at La Crosse high schools.
Sajjad says she’s already heard the stereotype that people from her country are terrorists. Like her initial stereotype about Americans families, she hopes she can change those perceptions.
“I get it. It’s in the media,” she says. “But I hope it works both ways. I hope we get a positive image of people here and take it back with us and we give a positive image of what people in Pakistan are like.”
One American politician or figure in the media limelight doesn’t represent the views of all Americans and the same is true of people from Pakistan, she adds.
The beauty of this program is that it gives Sajjad and Jamil, and many other students like them, first-hand experience with a new culture to share when they return.
“You can’t listen to what you’re told,” explains Jamil. “You have to see it for yourself.”