Sitting with his friends in the Great Room in Andrew Hall during the last days of midterms, Omar AlMjmad ’19 could be spending these crucial hours preparing for exams or finishing important term papers.
Instead, he and his fellow Alwihda members are collecting gently used clothing to donate to a Marietta women and children’s shelter.
“This is something we are called to do for our community,” AlMjmad says of himself and his friends Mansour Abdulaziz ’19, Mohammad Al Badi ’19, Fatemah Hussain ’20 and Anfal Altemeemy ’20 — all members of Alwihda, which is a Kuwaiti student organization.
This year, AlMjmad, a petroleum engineering major, was elected as a conference delegate in the NUKS election. He was one of 11 students internationally to be voted into a delegate position.
“I was elected with 1,263 votes and, for me, it is a two-year service,” he says. “I represent Alwihda, a Kuwaiti organization founded on the principles of justice, equality, freedom and democracy.”
“This year, there were two elections: one for administration and one for members,” he says. “Alwihda won members.”
Led by its elected leadership, NUKS organizes international students to provide support to the communities in which they study. Tina Thomas, Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering, says AlMjmad is the perfect ambassador for the NUKS organization.
“I have a lot of Kuwaiti students as advisees, and Omar always stood out as the natural leader of that (incoming freshman) class of 2015,” she says. “He’s always wanting to make sure all of the Kuwaiti students are OK, and he’s always sharing credit for whatever projects they’re doing. He’s a genuinely warm and caring person.”
Altemeemy was one of the students who participated in the clothing drive this year. Her parents, Ali Taha ’00 and Eman Al-Buloushi ’00, inspired her to come to Marietta College to earn a degree in petroleum engineering.
“Helping others is something I love to do,” she says. “This allows me to do that.”
The clothing drive was part of the Alwihda Cares effort, which involved Kuwaiti students in 22 states and nearly 50 cities in the United States.
“I love my organization and what we represent,” AlMjmad says. “I want to thank Professor Tina Thomas, who is like my mom here. When I do something, she is the first person to show up. I also thank all of the faculty members, staff and students for being supportive of us. Marietta College is a peaceful place. Everyone is welcoming to us. That is why I will always love Marietta.”
-Gi Smith