Alumni Profile
Spring 2018
Shahad Aldoori
Orientation coordinator for international students,
University of South Florida
Bluffton 鈥13
Major: Fashion and interior retail merchandising and design
Iraqi immigrant鈥檚 pursuit of education leads to a career in higher education
Originally from Baghdad, Iraq, and currently living and working in Tampa, Fla., Shahad Aldoori 鈥13 still considers Bluffton home.
鈥淚 have never met such nice people. They taught me a lot about peace and nonviolence and how to give without expecting anything in return,鈥 said Aldoori while holding back tears. 鈥淚 really miss it.鈥
Coming to America
Aldoori came to Bluffton 10 years ago through the Iraqi Student Project, a grassroots
organization with the mission to help Iraqi refugees whose education was disrupted
by the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The organization now serves Syrian refugees as well.
Aldoori was Bluffton鈥檚 first student through the program, but two others, 2014 graduate
Tamara Al-Sammarraie and current student Lorca Ali 鈥20, have also taken part.
At Bluffton, Aldoori says she came to understand and appreciate the differences of others, found a supportive community, and established the morals and values that guide her in her life and career today.
Aldoori鈥檚 family left war-torn Iraq after she graduated from high school in 2006. Living as a refugee in Syria, she was grateful to learn about a program that connected Iraqi students with universities and community supporters in the United States willing to provide a free education and financial assistance.
Even with a local host family, mentors from First Mennonite Church, and attentive
faculty and staff, the transition was difficult.
鈥淚t was my first time away from my family and I just wasn鈥檛 doing very well in my
classes at first, and I missed speaking to people in the language I used to speak,鈥
explained Aldoori.
Finding her calling
However, she persisted through the challenges. Aldoori became involved in student
organizations, worked in the Center for Career and Vocation and interned in the international
services office at Ohio Northern University. These experiences led her to pursue a
future in higher education. In 2016, she earned a master鈥檚 degree in college student
personnel from Bowling Green State University.
鈥淓ducation became such an important part of my life because I was not able to access it easily. I had to go to another country and not see my family for four years because of visa issues,鈥 said Aldoori, who still hasn鈥檛 seen her father since coming to the United States. 鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging, but I want my family to be proud of me.鈥
Now, Aldoori is the orientation coordinator for international students at the University of South Florida where she oversees 20 student leaders and assists the college transition for more than 200 international students each year.
鈥淚 really enjoy it,鈥 said Aldoori. 鈥淚 like being on a campus and working with students and meeting them.鈥
Keeping connected
Though she is five years past earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree and thousands of miles
from Bluffton, the lessons imparted remain. Aldoori cites her senior capstone class,
taught by Dr. Paul Neufeld Weaver, as instrumental in shaping her ethical behaviors
and values and determining how to use them at work and with her local and global community.
鈥淚 learned to understand and appreciate the differences of others and to be aware of what others are going through,鈥 said Aldoori. 鈥淵es, I came from a war zone, but there are other people out there who have different struggles that we might not know about.鈥
Bluffton鈥檚 enduring value of service also made an imprint. She, along with colleagues at USF, started an annual service trip for orientation leaders to Give Kids the World, a nonprofit resort in Orlando that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. She鈥檚 also assisted an Iraqi refugee family with adapting to life in the United States.
While she appreciates living in a big city, a lifestyle she was accustomed to growing up, she misses the safety of Bluffton. Most of all, though, she misses the people.
鈥淭he people and faculty were so understanding and they were so interested in learning about my culture,鈥 said Aldoori.
She remains in contact with many Bluffton community members and recently returned to celebrate a high school graduation with the family of Randy and Kimberly (Yant 鈥97) Spallinger, who opened their home to her during breaks and summers.
Aldoori鈥檚 story shows you can leave your home鈥攚hether it was your home for 18 years or four years鈥 but home never leaves you.
鈥淚 hold a special place in my heart for Bluffton.鈥