English Language Center Program Helps Student Realize His Dream
- Apr 19, 2018
Abdullah Almudyfir moved to the United States from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in fall of 2015 to enroll in English Language Center Services’ Academic English Program. Like many English Language Center students, he made Austin his temporary home and dove into in the program to acquire the language skills that could better prepare him for his academic and professional endeavors.
"One of biggest goals I had before coming to the U.S. was to hold a microphone and speak publicly to English native speakers,” he described. “With the help of the English Language Center program, I achieved this goal at an open mic night hosted at UT."
He describes his transition to life in Austin as surprising. “The strong cultural identity that Austin has compared to other cities that I visited around the world," he said. His positive experience is the reason why he considers the capital of Texas one of the best cities in the U.S.
Almudyfir chose English Language Center at UT due to the university and the program's reputation.
“The English Language Center program at UT is the right place to learn and improve your English,” he asserted. “Amazing teachers will surround you to help you improve your language skills."
As an English Language Center student, Almudyfir enrolled in four classes taught by Will Slade, Matthew Cook, Adrienne Pond, and Mary Lou Price, respectively. While the courses allowed him to develop his communication skills—both speaking and writing—one of the biggest takeaways was the relationships he was able to build with other students.
"As a very curious person, I couldn't hold myself back from learning about my classmates' countries and cultures,” he described. “Each one of them opened my eyes to a new world."
While in Austin, Almudyfir also worked on the student staff of English Language Center from February 2017-August 2017. He provided front desk customer service and social event support at Texas Global. He also planned and coordinated social events for students, translating documents into Arabic, and other related functions as assigned.
Ashley Sallee, Office Coordinator & Instructor and Almudyfir's supervisor, said, "his curiosity about and interest in English and the United States created close ties between Abdullah and English Language Center. The gregarious and thoughtful guy that he is, he continues to stay in touch with instructors and students from our programs by sending them happy wishes, often on their birthdays.”
Almudyfir returned home upon program completion. His new language skills allowed him to keep in touch with all the friends he made in Austin; they also became useful as he worked for the Saudi Arabian government.
Most recently, Almudyfir is using his English language skills as a graduate student at Tokyo International University. He enrolled in a Master's in International Relations program earlier this semester, completing his dream.
“The [English Language Center] program eased my path for graduate school and my upcoming projects," Almudyfir described.
Eventually, Almudyfir plans to start his own nonprofit organization after completing his graduate degree. He is thinking of an organization that will promote productive employment and decent work for people who earn less than $1.25 per day. The organization will encourage entrepreneurship and job creation.
"I believe this will solve several problems in developing countries. Such as poverty, living a healthy life, access to a good education, et cetera," he said. "The idea is still in development; in fact, I'm discussing it with my academic advisor to write my thesis about it."
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