Clinton scholar abroad in Dubai

November 16, 2009 —

Courtesy | Lisa Maroni

International relations senior Lisa Maroni rides in the desert near Dubai, a member state of the United Arab Emirates. Maroni is one of 10 U.S. students who received a William Jefferson Clinton Foundation scholarship to sponsor her trip.

For Lisa Maroni, international relations senior, a semester in the Middle East was the only way to fly.

That might seem an unlikely destination for an American student, given the common U.S. news reports of violence in certain areas.

But Maroni chose Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and said she has felt safe there. She takes classes at the American University.

Her only hair-raising story came when she went into the nearby country of Oman with fellow students during a break in September.

“While there,” Maroni recalled, “we went up a mountain and got out to take pictures, which resulted in a run-in with very wealthy and very angry camel herders.”

Fortunately, apart from being shaken, no one was harmed.

Apart from religious distinctions, the culture has not been very different, she said.

“Many students have a strong sense of American culture already,” adding that you can find many of the same stores and foods there that you could in the U.S.

But the road to Dubai didn’t come without its hitches.

“The first program I was looking at was the American University in Beirut (Lebanon).” But she couldn’t go because of ongoing military tensions with Israel.

Her next choice? The Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.

But more political tension halted this plan as well.

“Just as I was working on my application, the Democrats in the U.S. began voting legislation to recognize the Armenian genocide ... This sparked mass anti-American demonstrations . . . specifically in Ankara.”

Turkey denies Armenian claims that it massacred up to 1.5 million from 1915 to 1918.

Disappointed, discouraged, Maroni continued searching for places abroad when she finally caught a break — courtesy of a rather unexpected person.

“I stumbled upon a scholarship through the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation,” she said. Maroni was later chosen as one of 10 students from across the U.S. to be sponsored to immerse themselves in Arabic culture.

The scholarship, which covers full tuition and housing, allowed Maroni to look at Dubai, which she had not considered due to its high cost of living.

Now, Maroni is taking classes on international business and Middle Eastern cultures. The university itself is a microcosm: students there come from some 90 countries around the world.

Despite everything she is learning, she says she still misses SVSU.

“Unlike the first time I left SVSU in my sophomore year, leaving during my senior year has a whole different connotation, especially as I have gotten much more involved in campus,” she said. “Studying abroad at this point in my college career meant leaving my fellow staff members at the Writing Center, my fellow student government representatives, my fellow west coast swing dancers.”

But the trip abroad has had its big moments.

Maroni had a chance to meet former President Clinton at a reception Nov. 4, along with the other scholarship recipients studying at the American University.

“I didn’t realize when I got a Clinton Scholarship I’d get the chance to thank him in person,” she said. “A handshake always seems so much better than a card.”