Haoua Guezguez, from Tunisia, is leading Mason's Arabic Language Exchange Network. Photo provided.
Haoua Guezguez believes that language can bring people together and show them different worlds.
That鈥檚 something the Fulbright scholar from Tunisia is trying to do as coordinator of the Arabic Language Exchange Network at 亚洲AV.
The program, which has received grants from the U.S. State Department鈥檚 Critical Language Scholarship Program, pairs Arabic speakers with students interested in learning the language.
Guezguez鈥檚 motivated and outgoing personality makes her the ideal person to lead the initiative, said , an assistant professor of Arabic at Mason who created the student-run Arabic Language Exchange Network in 2015.
Guezguez pairs native Arabic speakers with learners to create a more natural, comfortable environment for the students, so they don鈥檛 feel the pressure of being graded on their pronunciation.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been doing a knockout job so far,鈥 Greenberg said. 鈥淲e are lucky to have her.鈥
A native of Tunisia, Guezguez graduated in July with a master鈥檚 degree in English and international relations from the Higher Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis.
She said she always dreamed of coming to the United States, so when she learned about the Fulbright Scholarship Program on the website of the American Embassy in Tunis, she applied as a foreign language teaching assistant.
Guezguez explained that Mason chose her, as well as two other scholars (one from China, one from Russia) to assist in classrooms and make foreign language learning an easier experience for non-native speakers.
鈥淟anguage is a very important connector,鈥 Guezguez said. 鈥淚t allows people to acquire different experiences and develop different opinions.鈥
Through her time at Mason, she said she has also learned the value of inclusion and receptiveness.
At the end of her yearlong fellowship, Guezguez said she hopes to work at a university in Tunisia and create an organization where students can engage in learning more about the English language.
鈥淭his scholarship is experience from which I can grow as a person, learn from my mistakes, appreciate my achievements and, most importantly, seek to reap the benefits of this one-time opportunity for a lifetime,鈥 she said.