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HCC hosts Fulbright Humphrey Fellow from Bahrain to share mission of community colleges
Feb 22, 2024
Ahmed Mejairan greets HCC students during his visit. See more photos.
Houston Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Ahmed Mejairan, a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow Fulbright exchange visitor from Bahrain.
Mejairan, the associate director of his country's Labor Fund, is currently studying U.S. higher education and visiting 10 community colleges across the nation as part of his year-long fellowship. During his visit to HCC, he engaged with faculty and students, sharing his professional expertise and cultural insights at various Honors Colleges locations.
Bahrain – officially the Kingdom of Bahrain – is an island country in West Asia with a population of 1.6 million. The kingdom is working hard to expand its high-tech industries, invest in research and development, and strengthen its competitive edge within a global economy.
"We are honored that the U.S. Department of State has selected Houston Community College - Southeast College to participate in the prestigious fellowship program," said Dr. Frances Villagran-Glover, Southeast College president. "Exchanges like this embody the spirit of cross-cultural collaboration and mutual understanding that are so vital in today's interconnected world."
Mejairan is a founding member of Skills Bahrain, a government-supported organization focused on developing the country's technical and vocational education and training system. His official host in the U.S. is Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
The Humphrey Fellowship Program aims to enhance leadership skills among international professionals, fostering collaboration to address local and global challenges for the collective good. Annually, approximately 150 Fellows pursue graduate-level, non-degree study and related professional experiences under this program, which is funded by the State Department and administered by the Institute of International Education.
"Hosting a Humphrey Fellow is one of the most prestigious things HCC can do," stated Dr. Toni Holland, director of the Honors College at Southeast and vice president of the recently formed Fulbright Association Community Colleges Chapter. "Being a host makes us more competitive than other community colleges, both regionally and nationally."
Dr. Holland, a former US Fulbright Student in 2009-2010, highlighted the new chapter's focus on organizing engaging programs and events for Fulbright alumni and visiting Fulbright scholars at community colleges nationwide.