My name is Tasneem Zraikat, and I am a sophomore here at The University of Richmond. I come from Jordan, a beautiful small country in the Middle East, and live in the capital, Amman. Despite being surrounded by so much political conflict, Jordan on its own is the most peaceful place you may come across! It has had strong and good relations with other countries for such a long time. Also, the people there are very friendly and extremely hospitable. I lived there all my life, but I was born in California when my father attended an Air University as part of his training as a pilot. The fact that my father is a pilot has built in me and my entire family a love for traveling, which is part of the reason why I am here. I am also here because I love studying art, and this is where I am truly doing that. I am constantly learning new things and have so many opportunities ahead of me in this field. I am doing a double major in Studio Art and Art History and when I graduate I plan to study architecture. I also plan to do a lot of traveling in the future because traveling is a way of learning and gaining knowledge. So if you have any opportunity to travel (such as the study abroad programs at UR!), you should definitely take it.

You can contact me at tasneem.zraikat@richmond.edu. 

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My name is Jesse Kedy and I‘m a freshman here at UR. I was born in London, but only lived there for the first eighteen months of my life. I lived in Israel from then, until I was seven, then moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. After six years in Florida, my father and I moved back to Israel where I went to middle and high school. I was in the Israeli Defense Force for three years. For the present, I plan to major in International Business and in Leadership, and minor in Chinese. My interests include traveling, sports and the outdoors, movies, friends, reading, Real Estate (and other investments) and, above all (and entwined with all these) learning. My plans for the future are to do something where I have plenty of opportunities to travel, something with an international aspect, maybe in the Far East or even New Zealand; who knows. I think my intended majors would provide quite a broad range of possibilities. A good man once said “Success is doing what you love best for the benefit of others.” I’d have to concur!

You can contact me at jesse.kedy@richmond.edu. 

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My name is Tsega Belachew and my home is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On the crossroads of the Middle East and Africa, Ethiopia is adorned with lots of colorful cultures and traditions including the ones that make Ethiopia distinct. Ethiopia, as one of the earliest known homes of humankind, has culture and traditions dating back over 3000 years.

Church ceremonies are a major feature of Ethiopian life. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has its own head, follows its own customs, and is extremely proud of its fourth century origins. Ethiopia's Islamic tradition is also very strong and offers colorful contrast. Aside from that, some of the first black Jews were Ethiopian.

One of my goals while at the University of Richmond is to get a study abroad experience…you could say I am already abroad but traveling is a luxury that I have to grasp at when it’s offered. I also hope to get involved with community service and maybe bring some awareness to many of the issues that are faced by Africa. I just mainly want to take in all the good that UR has to offer.

You can email me at tsega.tadesse@richmond.edu.

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Hi! My name is Yusuf Makhkamov and I like to think that I am interested in economics. I was born in Uzbekistan, lived in Norway and am currently searching for excellence in Virginia. I first arrived on campus at 1 am in the morning. It was completely empty and I remember thinking to myself, "I could fill this place with something new." Many things were different, many of my expectations were not fulfilled, yet I feel that my experience at UR is successful. It is successful for I have interesting acquaintances, enjoy my classes but most importantly because I realize that UR is not a constant variable, it can change. So my advice is this: if you have trouble with something, remember that your experience is here is a function of your input. So go ahead and mold the UR that suits you best.

You can contact me at yusuf.makhkamov@richmond.edu.