{"id":8568,"date":"2022-10-26T09:23:36","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=8568"},"modified":"2022-10-26T09:23:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:23:36","slug":"from-egypt-to-superior-menatallah-menna-elsamouly-is-one-of-uw-superiors-newest-international-students","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/from-egypt-to-superior-menatallah-menna-elsamouly-is-one-of-uw-superiors-newest-international-students\/","title":{"rendered":"From Egypt to Superior: Menatallah (Menna) Elsamouly is one of UW-Superior’s newest international students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

On paper, Menatallah \u201cMenna\u201d Elsamouly is just like any other college freshman.<\/p>\n

She loves meeting new people. She enjoys playing guitar and creating videos. And she is searching for a part-time job. But Elsamouly\u2019s background makes her anything but typical.<\/p>\n

For starters, she is from Egypt, where social and cultural norms are very different. Her brother, Mohamed, was tragically killed in 2014, while fighting in the Egyptian revolution.<\/p>\n

And her father, Uoussry, was wrongfully imprisoned by the Egyptian government shortly thereafter. He remains incarcerated to this day.<\/p>\n

When considering her future, Elsamouly immediately thought of the United States. \u201cI thought of the U.S. as the place of freedom,\u201d she said. \u201cThere, I could say my opinion \u2013 politely \u2013 without anyone arresting me. It is a safe place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, her search pointed to the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Elsamouly arrived safely on American soil September 8, and began classes on September 9. But her journey hasn\u2019t been easy.<\/p>\n

A Long, Winding Road<\/h3>\n

Elsamouly, who grew up in Cairo, is the first in her family to study abroad. She grew up speaking Arabic, and only started learning English last year, at age 16. Today, she is fluent in Arabic, English, and German.<\/p>\n

Her father is a retired engineer. Her mother, Madiha, is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. And her sister, Marwa, is a medical sales rep.<\/p>\n

Elsamouly discussed her long, winding road to the U.S. \u201cI had my visa interview the day after high school graduation,\u201d she said. \u201cI found that it was easy. I was told by the consulate that I was approved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her interview was July 24, and she later received a passport, but no visa. \u201cI wondered if this was due to what happened to my dad and brother,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Mark MacLean, UWS\u2019 Director of International Admissions – who is in charge of recruiting and admitting undergraduate international students – stepped in to help. He reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, on Elsamouly\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is such a bright student and a good communicator,\u201d he noted. \u201cAfter some delays, she received her visa on September 6, and arrived here just two days later.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no doubt MacLean went above and beyond to help this bright, young student. He even picked her up from the airport!<\/p>\n

\u201cMark helped me a lot,\u201d Elsamouly shared. \u201cHe reached out and said they really wanted me as a student at UWS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Importance of International Students<\/h3>\n

UWS has long maintained a robust international student population. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the official number for fall 2022 yet, but I believe it will be 190-195 international students from 35 countries, which is around a 10% increase from fall 2021, and a 28% increase from fall 2020,\u201d MacLean said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have long had the second-highest percentage of international students in the UW System, behind only UW-Madison,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Having international students on campus brings much value to the University, and the community at large. \u201cWe want to give international students a great education and a great experience,\u201d MacLean noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s also good for our domestic students to have the opportunity to interact with international students \u2013 through classes, sports, work, and living together. It\u2019s a point of pride in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Future Goals<\/h3>\n

Elsamouly is pursuing an undergraduate degree in multimedia journalism. Someday she hopes to become a TV host or work in radio. \u201cI really want to make a positive impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Thus far, her experience at UWS has been highly positive. She has already made several friends; some of whom are fellow international students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely amazed by the campus and the teamwork they have here,\u201d Elsamouly said. \u201cEveryone is nice and friendly. I feel very welcomed by everyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Written by UW-Superior<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwsuper.edu\/newscenter\/from-egypt-to-superior_news5114638<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On paper, Menatallah \u201cMenna\u201d Elsamouly is just like any other college freshman. She loves meeting new people. She enjoys playing guitar and creating videos. And she is searching for a part-time job. But Elsamouly\u2019s background makes her anything but typical. For starters, she is from Egypt, where social and cultural norms are very different. Her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":8570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[110],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-8568","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-superior"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/8568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=8568"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=8568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}