STUDENT

An International Adventure
Mohammad Albawaneh
instructional design and technology
Mohammad Albawaneh, a native
of Irbid, Jordan, has always enjoyed
learning. He began his higher
education endeavors at Albaqa Applied
University where he completed his
bachelor’s in management information
systems. After being named a top
student, he was hired as an academic
advisor for the school. While working
full-time, Albawaneh completed his
MBA, and, as chance would have it,
met the president of the university, Dr.
Ekhelif Tarawneh.
Dr. Tarawneh, now the president
of the University of Jordan, is an
ESU alumnus. Upon learning of
Albawaneh’s desire to complete a Ph.D.
in the U.S., Tarawneh encouraged
Alabawaneh to look into ESU.
“I got the idea from Dr. Ekhelif
Tarawneh, the president of Albaqa
Applied University. After that, I
started researching Emporia and
what the environment (was like). He
recommended me (to go) and told me
that the people were so nice and that
the town here was so peaceful,” said
Albawaneh. “He highly recommended
me to come here and get my master’s,
and then start my higher studies — to
start at Emporia and then get a Ph.D.”
After a bit more investigation,
Albawaneh found that he had a
distant relative in the area, and one
of the professors in the School of
Business, Dr. Khaled A. Alshare, was
from Irbid as well. After speaking
with other students from Jordan,
Albawaneh decided to pursue his
next master’s degree in instructional
design and technology.
“I do believe in our age and our
time, technology and designing is a
hot major. I think I will get a good
opportunity if I stay and do a good job
in this major. Education has begun to
convert from face-to-face traditional
education to online.”
Albawaneh became active on campus
from the moment he arrived in 2013.
Within two months of his arrival,
Albawaneh was named president of the
Arabic Student Cultural Association
(ASCA), where he educated others
about the Arab culture and language.
“Last year, I worked as a Fulbright
Scholar teaching Arabic 1, Arabic 2,
and Introduction to the Arab World.
It was a big opportunity for me,” he
said. “I taught Arabic 1 and 2 for non-
Arabic speakers … I taught for Korean,
American, Chinese … ”
His efforts were not limited to campus,
but spilled over into community
involvement, where he and others from
ASCA go to local elementary schools to
teach children Arabic. He’s also helped
educate adults within the community.
“I used to teach in the Islamic Center
of Emporia, and we offered a course at
William Allen White Library,” he said.
In 2014, Albawaneh was awarded the
Presidential Scholarship, among several
other scholarships that recognized him
for his excellence.
Albawaneh is hoping to complete his
Ph.D. in the United Sates, then return
to Jordan to teach at a university.
“Before I came to America, I got a
scholarship for my Ph.D. in Business
Administration from Yarmouk
University. I had an interview with at
least 15 professors, the president and
the vice president of the university.
12 STUDENT Experience