Marilyn Shapley is a fourth year International Studies and Literature major with a secondary focus on political science. At the American University in Cairo she is able to study policies and literature of the Middle East in preparation for a regional specialization in her planned career as a Foreign Service officer in the U.S. State Department. When visiting with Marilyn last summer, we learned of her great interest in Egyptology, her concern about the current situation of Sudanese refugees, and her eagerness to learn how to communicate thoughtfully in an international setting. A few weeks later she was ecstatic about her first visit to see pyramids, starting to teach English to refugees, discussing the Egyptian election with local students and practicing colloquial Arabic in the marketplace. Some of Marilyn’s courses deal with developing durable peace and stability in war-torn countries, Third World Literature and forced migration and refugee studies. When trying out for the Cairo Model UN club, she had to role play as Saudi Arabia and with two minutes to prepare had to defend her country’s record of religious freedom. Marilyn’s comment: “It was valuable to walk away and realize that there are two sides to every story, and the truth is never as cut and dry as we think.”
Julia Carter (Egypt, 2002-03)
Julia Carter (2002-03, Egypt) is pursuing a double major in History and Religious Studies. She chose to study at the American University in Cairo to gain some understanding of the interaction of historical and religious issues in the Middle East, as well as to learn how the U.S. is viewed from an Egyptian perspective. In August we were able to discuss Julia’s plans and hopes for the year while she visited in Davis; Ellie by then had come home to Davis and was able to share many lively anecdotes of her year in Spain. Julia has sent fascinating accounts of her explorations of Cairo, Saqqara, Memphis, the Fayyum Oasis (where “I truly felt like Indiana Jones, crawling about in an attempt to discover the mysteries of the ancient world.”) and Taba on the Red Sea.