I had an interview with Malak Daher, a wonderful sophomore resident who I had the pleasure of running into one day early on in the semester. She was there early because she’s an international student from Morocco, and she speaks at least two languages aside from English. She spoke her mind to me about what her roles are on campus and how she wants to impact her community.
Her Campus: How many roles or positions do you have on campus, be it academic or professional?
Malak Daher: Café Roy, Debate team, English Institute, and TAISA.
HC: What role is most important to you? Do you think the role that’s most important to you is also the most important role you play on campus?
MD: My TA role is most important because even if it ended when school started, I enjoy guiding students and helping freshman international students get used to their new life here. I had trouble when I first moved here and I want to be able to make the transition easier for others so they are less likely to struggle like I did my freshman year.
HC: What has your experience been, like as an international student?
MD: While I do struggle with ignorance around campus and tend to get homesick at times, I still managed to build a great community of friends that help me whenever I am down. I enjoy learning about new cultures, and being one of many international students here got me to befriend people of all different cultures and ethnicities.
HC: What advice do you have for incoming international students?
MD:It’s always hard at first, but trust me, it only gets better. Enjoy every part of your college years and treasure them as much as you can.
HC: How many languages do you speak? Which do you enjoy most, if any?
MD: Standard Arabic + Lebanese dialect, Darija Moroccan, French and English. I usually mix all the languages in my household, but I’m biased towards Moroccan because it’s much more expressive than the other languages.
HC: What’s something you’ve always wanted to say to the university?
MD: Have better catering to the international students. We can’t leave campus during break and we don’t get meal plans. We have to get rides to the airport, making us pay an extra $100 to go there and come back. We have problems with storage since we can’t take our belongings back with us in summer…
HC: What are issues on campus that most concern you?
MD: I think campus is not inclusive enough and every semester I see groups forming and people getting segregated not only with domestic students and international students, but also with minorities here. DePauw needs to find a way to bring all students together.
HC: Thank you for talking with me!
We have a lot to learn about each other and what this place means to us as a community if we want anything to change. Not everyone’s experiences will be the same, but there are so many ways to make everybody feel included. Talk to someone you would normally dismiss and get comfortable being uncomfortable because that makes you more adaptable. And we need adaptable people to educate themselves outside of what school tells you that you need to understand to be prepared for life.