Students share stories of adventure and learning in Morocco in on-line magazine

ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students studying in Morocco share their experiences in 'Moorish Tides'
ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students studying in Morocco share their experiences in 'Moorish Tides'

This semester 56 students will be attending classes at the ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ’s campus in Tangier, Morocco. It will be the largest number of ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students there at one time. Many of them will be sharing their experiences through the on-line magazine

Faculty member Tony David, Ph.D., now a proud resident of Tangier, challenges his students to write about their experiences and encounters while exploring the region.

β€œThe idea behind my classes is that ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students should experience Tangier and Morocco as one of the world’s greatest classrooms,” says David.

ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students study abroad at five times the national average. Part of the experience for those students is taking in the local culture.

β€œWe bring them out into the community, encouraging them to meet people and experience the cultural fabric,” says Neal Jandreau, director of creative strategies for ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ’s Office of Global Affairs.

Initially David had the idea of putting the students’ writings into a blog. ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ Vice President for Global Affairs Anouar Majid, Ph.D., decided instead to build a magazine to showcase the stories.

β€œTo see our students write such first-rate essays and have them published professionally is quite simply a tremendous joy,” Majid says.

Kelsey Golemo (Dental Hygiene, ’19) spent the fall semester of her sophomore year in Morocco.

β€œIt was a huge culture shock, but that’s what I wanted,” Golemo says. β€œIt really did change me as a person, learning the culture and throwing myself into something completely different.”

Golemo says the best experience she had in Tangier was visiting a Jewish retirement home and speaking with Sam Cohen, one of the few remaining Jews left in the Muslim city.

β€œHe lived a long life, and his story really inspired me. He is an amazing human being,” Golemo says.

Her story about Cohen is one of several articles written by ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students in Moorish Tides.

Golemo encourages all ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ students to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad and to share their experiences through the on-line magazine.

β€œIt was the best decision I ever made,” she says.

Kelsey Golemo (Dental Hygiene, ’19) wrote about Sam Cohen one of the few remaining Jews left in the Muslim city
Kelsey Golemo (Dental Hygiene, ’19) wrote about Sam Cohen one of the few remaining Jews left in the Muslim city

About the ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ

The ΒιΆΉΒγΑΔ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.