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dents from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to study at a U.S. college or university. “I was the first one to come from Gaza on the scholarship. I was chosen from a lot of applicants,” Alfarra said. “We serve as cultural ambassadors. We build bridges of mutual understanding between my country and America. When people see that I’m a Muslim and an Arab from the Middle East and that I’m a successful, normal person, this opens a dialogue to give others a different perspective of Middle Eastern and Arab people.” When Alfarra arrived at JSU in August 2009, he fell in love with the historically black university, so much so that he didn’t want to leave. “I never would have thought I would experience this much care, love and respect from the people here. Jackson State has been another home for me,” Alfarra said. “People opened their houses to me. You can feel that your success is a personal matter for almost every professor and employee, and if this was not the case, I would never have been able to reach this far.” But the exchange program didn’t allow students to pursue a degree at U.S. universities. Alfarra petitioned the State Department to grant him an exception. With support of JSU and faculty and staff at Millsaps College, where Alfarra had participated in activities, Alfarra submitted hundreds of signatures to the State Department. “I got an exception to stay in the country. That did not happen in 47 years,” he said. “People in the State Department said, ‘You are a very blessed young man.’ ” However, to get his visa status changed to that of a degree-seeking student, Alfarra had to go to Canada to apply for another student visa and then come back to the U.S. When he got there, American officials declined to grant the visa immediately. The delay could have cost Alfarra the opportunity to study at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he had received an internship. JSU faculty contacted U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., on Alfarra’s behalf. Thompson’s office took it from there. “I got an email one night from the U.S. ambassador in Ottawa, and she told me to come get my visa so I could finish my studies in the U.S. I went down to the floor and thanked God,” said Alfarra. Alfarra studied business administration during his first semester at JSU, but he became fascinated with the university’s engineering program. “I had a strong science base from my high school studies. I got a 4.0 my second semester in engineering and that’s when the School of Engineering extended me a
full scholarship. I finished the engineering program in two years and 11 months with a 3.7 GPA,” he said. Dr. Patricia Jernigan, assistant dean in International Studies, said Alfarra has excelled since his arrival at JSU. “He has probably had an A average since his first semester. He has proven to be an ambassador for the program that enabled him to come to the U.S.,” Jernigan said. By his senior year, Alfarra had served as International Student Association president, executive assistant to the Student Government Association president and president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He also had worked as a research assistant for JSU’s Northrop Grumman Center for High-Performance Computing. Alfarra’s mother, Eman Alfarra, said she can hardly contain the joy she feels for her son’s accomplishments. Her name means “faith,” and that’s what she holds onto during her son’s absence. “I never expected my son would go to another place and be able to study and graduate, which encompasses all the effort and all the investment that has been put in him since he was really young. It was like a dream to me,” his mother said through an interpreter. His father, Mohammed Ali Alfarra, said: “On the occasion of graduation with my only son in May 2013 from the historic Jackson State University, I am honored and happy. I offer my sincere thanks to all of the university administration for what they have offered and all their generous support. I also would like to thank the U.S. government for their humanitarian efforts and programs. Our hope is to see Anas soon. He has been away from us for four years.” Alfarra is currently a graduate student. He interned this summer at Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha, Neb. Though on campus now, his future after graduate school is uncertain. His current visa requires him to return to his homeland and work for two years before he can seek full-time employment in the U.S. “If I go home, I would never be able to come back. We don’t even have a U.S. consulate in Gaza,” he said. Still, Alfarra believes his future will work itself out as he pursues success in engineering. He’s also ever the ambassador. “I’m hoping people will read this and think, ‘Hey, this young man is trying to do something good.’ I really want to give back to Jackson State because this place has offered me a future in which I never could have accomplished in my country or anywhere else,” he said.
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