Visiting Fulbright Scholar from Egypt to Speak at AAUW Meeting

Noha Mayhoub, a visiting Fulbright Scholar from Egypt, will speak about “The Life of Egyptian Women: The Fighter” at the next gathering of the Stetson Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Tuesday, March 10. 

Noha Mayhoub

Mayhoub is visiting Stetson University for the 2019-20 academic year. She teaches Arabic, takes classes with an emphasis on cultural learning and also serves as a Culture Ambassador.

She has tabled on campus several times to talk about her culture and share the traditional dress and food of her home country. She even brought another Fulbright Scholar from Pennsylvania to help her teach an Egyptian belly dancing class at Stetson on Feb. 24.

Coinciding with Women’s History Month in March, Mayhoub will speak at the AAUW meeting March 10 about Egyptian women through history and their contributions to social, political, economic and religious life. She will offer perspectives on the Hijab from the Egyptian Muslim woman’s point of view.

“I’ll emphasize how strong, determined and resourceful the Egyptian women are,” she said. “That’s why the title is ‘The Fighter.’ I’ll touch on the daily life of contemporary women and how they get through life obstacles as the foundation of the Egyptian family.”

Her presentation will begin at 11:30 a.m. March 10 in the Stetson Room in the Carlton Union Building. A $15 lunch is optional and can be paid by cash or check at the event. RSVP for lunch by Thursday, March 5, to Maria Francis at [email protected] or call (386) 822-8950. Cultural Credit will be available and the event is open to all genders from all industries.

Stetson faculty, students and alumni apply to the Fulbright program to study and teach overseas. And Stetson also has hosted at least one Fulbright Scholar a year for the past eight years, said Roxanne Lewis, International Student and Scholar Service coordinator in Stetson’s World: Rinker Center for International Learning. The scholars have helped teach language courses, including Portuguese and Arabic.

Mayhoub, who will return home to Egypt in May, wanted to share her Fulbright experiences at Stetson and wrote the following article for Stetson Today:

“I am an Egyptian Fulbrighter (Fulbright Scholar). I come from a Middle Eastern culture, which is rather different than any Western culture in many aspects such as food, clothes, religion, belief, family, life priorities and norms.

Stetson University recently was named a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars. Read more.

“However, after my couple of months experience in the USA, I have a profound belief that all these differences aren’t barriers; as a matter of fact, they’ve been bridges to new starting points in my life. They helped me to develop a new perspective of the whole world around me and to get much better understanding of my own self.

“Now I am aware that there is always something bigger than myself and my own little world. I am even more proud that I am Egyptian, and I appreciate my country more and have a greater respect for it. I am now able to see and appreciate all that I’ve taken for granted, which definitely has fostered my awareness and understanding of my Egyptian Middle Eastern identity.

“All these changes and the many first-time experiences have helped me to grow up even more and rediscover myself, my potentials, my ability to reach higher summits, to integrate with different people and to make new friendships. It has broadened my mind to see and feel the same things in a different way. It helped me to be more tolerant.   

“The first words I heard when I came to Stetson University in the academic year 2019-2020 were “Go Beyond,” and this is exactly what I needed and what I am doing everyday as a Fulbrighter, pushing myself the extra mile to go beyond my fears, my initial stress and my comfort zone.

flag of egypt
The flag of Egypt

“I am going back to Egypt with many stories to tell, experiences to speak about and unforgettable memories of working hard, playing hard, stress and joy. Also, I will go back with friendships and connections from all over the world of awesome people who I spent quality time with, and I will hold their great memories in my heart forever. On top of that, I know that I will be a bridge between both cultures. 

“My Fulbright journey is not about getting out of my comfort zone. It’s about starting over with a brand-new comfort zone. I am still going on the journey, and I don’t know where the boat will take me yet. But I am sure at the end I will not be the same person who arrived in Florida in August 2019.

“I am grateful to Fulbright for opening all these doors wide for me and taking me out of my limited self into a whole new world. Thanks to Fulbright, I am a global citizen who is a part of a worldwide network of amazing people. Once a Fulbrighter always a Fulbrighter!”