College of Education grad Amira Shourbaji recently found herself back at her alma mater thanks to a Fulbright Scholar award that will take her to Bahrain in September.

The U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program offers teaching and research awards to more than 125 countries. In June, Wayne State hosted Fulbright awardees from 43 universities around the country for Pre-Departure Orientation in preparation for travel to countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

While the Fulbrighters at WSU came from as far away as South Carolina, Texas and even Norway, Shourbaji only had to drive in from Canton.

"It will be interesting living somewhere without long cold winters," she says, with a laugh. She says she's looking forward to teaching at the University of Bahrain and exploring the small island kingdom's beaches.

Shourbaji started her undergrad career at the University of Tennessee. But, when her husband found work in the automotive industry, the couple moved to Michigan and Shourbaji enrolled at Wayne State University, graduating in 2004 with a bachelor's in elementary education. She later received a master's and EdD from the University of Michigan, and now works at UM-Dearborn as an English Language Proficiency Program lecturer.

When she learned that her Fulbright orientation would be at Wayne State, Shourbaji was excited to come back and see many changes. She says that walking the campus during breaks in orientation brought her back to a time where she would explore the campus and the city by foot or by car, and take in all the beauty both held.

She recalled fondly the diversity of the campus, something which has continued and even grown to this day, with Warriors coming from 80 countries around the globe.

While the 15 years since Shourbaji left Wayne is minute considering the university's 150-year existence, it has changed considerably in those intervening years. Shourbaji says she spent a lot of her time inside the Student Center as an undergraduate, so it struck her how different it looks: "It's beautiful now."

As for what stuck out to her most, "The residence hall, the grocery stores and shops that cater to the students, I don't remember those being there," she says. "I used to take classes at Manoogian, and even the parking structure looks different."

Among things both familiar and different, Shourbaji had nothing but praise for Wayne State.

"I was really happy to spend time here, it brought back good memories," she says. "I love this campus."

By Jacob Stocking, OIP communications associate

The Office of International Programs leads Wayne State's global engagement by creating opportunities that foster international education and research, facilitate the exchange of individuals and ideas that promote global competencies and citizenship, and provide resources that support the expansion of the university's global agenda. Follow us @WayneOIP.