Academy for Educational Development

Two Iraqi Students Returning Home after Two Years at U.S. Colleges

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2006 —

WHO: Kurdo Othman, a 24 year old male, and Sarkawt Muhamad, a 28 year old male, are Iraqi students who have spent the last two and a half years completing their undergraduate degrees at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Both Kurdo and Sarkawt majored in International Affairs, and hope to contribute to Iraqi society upon their return home next week.

WHAT: Kurdo and Sarkawt are among the first participants in the United States Department of State sponsored PLUS Program (see below) to graduate with U.S. bachelors degrees. They are available to reflect on the challenges and triumphs of their studies in the United States, and to share their nuanced views on American society and culture.

WHERE/WHEN: Washington, DC- May 18 through May 23, 2006.

FOR INTERVIEWS: Please contact Mathilde Andrade, 202-413-4580, or Misha Galley, 202-884-8388.

WHY: The PLUS Program is a scholarship program for students from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia funded by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Academy for Educational Development (AED). Initiated in 2004, it is the first U.S. government-sponsored undergraduate scholarship program for students from Muslim-majority regions.

Sandra MacDonald, Vice President and Director of the AED Center for Academic Partnerships writes, “the PLUS students are a remarkable collection of talented young people who represent a broad geographic area, several different language groups, and diverse cultural backgrounds. They have participated in university cultural groups, volunteered in retirement communities and local schools, organized and presented in panel discussions, taught Arabic language classes, collaborated in civic/environmental awareness groups, and more. They have proven to be terrific cultural interpreters for their peers and professors in the classroom, as well as valuable additions to their campus communities across the United States.”

The PLUS Program identifies and supports undergraduate level study at accredited higher educational institutions in the United States for a select cadre of academically talented students who exhibit leadership potential in contributing to the economic, political, and social development of their region. There are currently 168 students from 17 countries who have received scholarships to complete the final two years of their university studies in the United States. The first group of students received their bachelor’s degrees from U.S. institutions in Spring 2006. For more information visit our website, www.plus-aed.org.

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