Assisting Arab Refugees is her Dream

Student Awarded Scholarship for Intensive Arabic Studies Program


Saman Essa

Saman Essa, Honors College and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences sophomore, is pursuing her twin passions of psychology and Arabic to achieve her life-long dream of assisting Arab refugees in their own language with their unique psychological and emotional needs. Now she’s the thrilled and grateful recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Arabic, which will assist her in attaining the fluency she’ll need. Her teacher, Dr. Emran El-Badawi, associate professor and director of Middle Eastern Studies, is immensely proud of her accomplishment, and notes that this is the first time in at least the past decade that a UH student has won the CLS.

Essa is studying psychology and Middle Eastern Studies, with a minor in Medicine & Society. She has been involved in the UH Bonner Leaders Program, where she has worked on developing a program for teaching English to resettled refugees. She has also been a participant in the Model Arab League, traveling to Cairo last fall for the international conference. She received a 2017-2018 Houston Early Research Experience Grant, and is conducting research on Muslim influences on the Spanish novel “Don Quixote,” under Dr. El-Badawi’s supervision.

After graduation, Essa aspires to attend graduate school for psychology and to continue working with refugees. She hopes that by studying Arabic abroad, she will solidify her Arabic language skills and be able to communicate effectively with resettled Arabic-speaking refugees. 

From War to Safe Haven

They’re fleeing civil wars and revolutions, crushing poverty and daily violence. Every year, millions of Arabic-speaking people are forced to leave their homes in the Middle East, and hundreds of thousands emigrate to the U.S. These refugees, especially non-English speakers with no relatives to help them settle here, face a host of practical problems to unravel such as the need for healthcare, social and employment services, education programs and community advocacy.

Essa knows there is another dimension of assistance needed by these refugees. They may be grieving over loved ones who’ve been killed or left behind, or for leaving the only home they may ever have known, and her education and skills will equip her to assist them in their transition and adjustment to a new life.

A Golden Summertime Opportunity

The CLS program is a fully funded summer experience open to students of all academic majors. With support from the U.S. Department of State, the program is designed to “increase the number of Americans with foreign language proficiency, specifically in languages that are critical to national security and diplomatic relationships.”

“I am so thankful to my professors (Michael Fares, assistant instructional professor in Middle Eastern Studies, and Dr. Benjamin Rayder, visiting assistant professor in the Honors College) for assisting me with my application,” notes Essa.