“Wharton was an amazing stimulation for the mind,” writes Dana Mar’ie (Jordan), “and work has been a practical lesson on Wall Street and the intensity of business in America….As we start the countdown towards going back home…my feelings are a mixture of sadness and happiness that I’m still trying to figure out.”

“In America I met so many interesting people—a gypsy giving me advice in Washington Square, a Sufi teacher telling me about his community in Illinois, and the highlight of my encounters…having lunch with a Wall Street legend and listening to his advice about what you need to be successful.”

“This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I was placed in New York and I…fell in love with the Big Apple. It’s a cultural heaven for those who are interested….I tried to attend as many events as possible….”

“The scope of lessons learned can’t be gathered in one e-mail but I know I learned to network, to ask for what I want and to embrace my dreams. I learned to travel light and do things on my own. I learned to read maps, use the subway, and to embrace my sense of adventure,” says Dana. “In conclusion…the effects of this trip will definitely extend beyond its five-month length.”

Madel Harrathi, Shaimaa Ahmed (Egypt), Batool Sharaf, Hadeel Abu Hussein (Israel), Myriam Lahkdar (Tunisia), and Maha Mostafa (Egypt)

Dana’s colleague Madel Harrathi (Tunisia) mentions that she, Dana, and Batool Sharaf (Bahrain) enjoyed spending time with Joseph R. Perella, the CEO of financial services firm Perella Weinberg Partners where their fellowships took place. Interaction was not only at work but at such social events as a Yankees game. Manel describes this event as “awesome…Mr. Perella was very generous with us; the whole game he was explaining the rules.” The three also attended the musical “South Pacific” at Lincoln Center Theater compliments of Perella.

Nahiba Zerigui (Algeria) comments that “I am really enjoying my fellowship at Jenner & Block. My mentor is really nice and gives me interesting files and also tips about where to go in Chicago.” Nahiba had a good deal of contact with firm associates and partners and participated in a variety of external events organized for the summer associates. She and the other Chicago-based women had the opportunity for homestays with several American families as well as spending a weekend in a lakeside cabin owned by one of the International Visitor Center of Chicago board members, where they celebrated the birthday of Rudainah Elayah (Yemen).

Ibtissem Chibane (Algeria) with Nahib Zerigui at Wharton reception

“My experience at Cisco was completely different than I expected,” writes Dalia Adawieh (Jordan). “It’s in the IT industry and I never had a chance to work in the IT industry…regardless it ended up being the best experience I ever had….The diversity and the community around are just great…you are surrounded by professional amazing people from all around the world. The type of project I handled was new for me as it included a new technological collaboration method…the WIKI.”

Dalia attended several Cisco courses to learn more about using WIKI as a human network tool. The Middle East Diversity & Inclusion group at Cisco also arranged a special event for Dalia, other LBFP fellows at Cisco, and interns working at Cisco through its Lebanon partnership program to talk about their countries. And Dalia was pleased as well to have opportunity to meet John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO.

Another highlight for Dalia was the chance for U.S. travel. “Every state I have visited has a different flavor,” she comments. Her favorite trip was to Miami, where she went with ten other fellows.

“During this experience, I have developed a lot of my communication skills and to take the initiative of talking to people, as I have always tended to be a shy person,” comments Dalia. “The experience I had at Cisco will be with me forever as I have learned to work effectively to achieve better results for the whole.”

If you are among the LBFP group and would like to share a story from your time in the United States that wasn’t included here, please just write the LBFP Link editor at lhutton@amideast.org or let us know about your experience while you are in Washington, DC, at the end of the program. We hope to publish more adventures of LBFP in our next issue.