Global Advising: Perspectives from the Middle East - Adventures in Advising

In this special episode of Adventures and Advising, guest host Dr. Margaret Mbindyo (Millersville University) leads a rich, eye-opening conversation with Rasha Tawfik (American University of Sharjah) and Miriam Khalil (Northwestern University in Qatar). Together, they explore what academic advising looks like in the Middle East and what advisors everywhere can learn from it.

From family-centered student success and culturally responsive advising to global similarities in student anxiety, transition, and belonging, this episode challenges assumptions and expands perspectives. You’ll hear why advising in the Middle East is deeply relational, how empathy transcends borders, and why students across the world are far more alike than different.

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Transcript

Matt Markin  
Hello and welcome back to the Adventures and Advising podcast. This is Matt Markin and I am so happy for you to join us today, because we have a special guest and someone that will be back on from time to time with a I guess we could call series here on the podcast throughout 2026 and that is with our returning guest, Dr. Margaret Mbindyo, Margaret, welcome back. 

Margaret Mbindyo  
Thank you.

Matt Markin  
I'm so glad for you to be back, because I think last time you were on was 2023, on the podcast, and that was episode 83 and how does that feel to be back Margaret?

Margaret Mbindyo  
It feels great again, as you know, and I've told you this several times, Matt, your work has become a global phenomenon, really, and that's why you got the award you got from UKAT recently because of sharing stories of advisors from all backgrounds. You know, sharing stories of students through their advisors, you know, that makes others believe that there is hope. So. I am very grateful that you have incorporated us who believe in global advising, and the fact that perspectives of advisors from other countries are critically important in this era where the world has really become a global village. So I'm very, very happy. Thank you so much.

Matt Markin  
Well, I really appreciate that, Margaret, but I'm always in awe of the passion and the work that you've been doing over however many years, and everything that you're still doing now, and I'm really glad for this collaboration that that we're doing with this year, with the podcast, but I've spoken enough. I'm going to turn it over to you and jump off this and let you have you know your guest host duties, because you have some you know, special guests today and a great conversation that I know is going to happen. So I'll turn it over to you.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Thank you again. I greatly appreciate. And once again, I am just so excited to be talking to these two lovely professional advisers. And as a way of beginning, I would like the two of you please to introduce yourselves. Let's start with you, Rasha.

Rasha Tawfik  
Thank you, Margaret. I'm so excited to be part of this conversation with you. And Miriam. Hello everyone joining us today. My name is Rasha Tawfik. I'm the director for the Academic Support Center at the American University of Sharjah, and I'm also the chair for the global initiatives and Engagement Committee that's part of NACADA. And welcome again, and I'm excited to join you, Margaret and Miriam.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Thank you so much. Miriam.

Miriam Khalil  
Hello, Margaret. Hello Rasha Thank you for the opportunity, Margaret. We really appreciate hosting us today. My name is Miriam Khalil. I am the director of academic advising and student success at Northwestern University in Qatar, and so happy to be here and sharing perspectives about the experience in the Middle East, the region where I was born, grew up and working.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's wonderful. Welcome to both of you. The region of the Middle East, which is actually a place I've been several times, is dear to me. I get so fascinated by the culture of the Middle Eastern people because it's rich and ancient, and we have a lot as the people of the world to learn from the Middle Eastern area. And so for you, being here talking about academic advising is a great honor. And so we are going to talk a little bit about the culture. We will talk about academics. We'll talk about students, families and blah, blah, blah. So as a way of beginning in many Western institutions, we are we perceive students journey in the academia is an individual thing where the family is not really very involved. When it comes to the Middle East, the family is involved. It's the joy of the family when a student. College is accepted into college, really, it becomes a big milestone to the larger family. I want us. You actually to talk a little bit about that, because that's really very exciting, and that's why you see during the graduation ceremonies some parents behaving as if they are the ones getting the degree. So can you talk a little bit about that?

Rasha Tawfik  
I'm so glad Margaret that you started with this question, because family plays such an important role in the Middle East, in their students life in general, not just their education. And that's not always a bad thing. It's actually a very good thing, because families here are an integral part of the culture, and the way they support their students is just magnificent. Whether their student is struggling or thriving, they are always there for them. And like you said, it just seems to be a continuation of the parents own success, or a start of a new success in the family, to have their student continue their education and complete their university degree. And so it is a milestone for for for both the parents and the student, for sure, and the family and they're always supportive of their student.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Wonderful, wonderful, anything to add Miriam into that.

Miriam Khalil  
Well, I mean, I grew up in Lebanon. I'm from Lebanon, education is not an option. You have to, you know what? Like, the family is the main support system behind every child, because you need to complete school, and they will do everything they can for you to be able to finish school and then go to university and complete your degree. So they're a great support system, not only emotionally, but also financially. They're doing everything they can to see their kids graduating and getting a degree, because this is an investment for their children, this is a way for them to continue and survive in different economies. So they're not looking at giving you other stuff, but your education is the most important thing, and they want to play a critical role in you having the degree. So it's a pride, as you said, not only to the immediate parents, but all the family.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's wonderful. And to just give the audience a perspective about your own past, how what kind of a university are you working in, and what kind of students are you mostly seeing?

Rasha Tawfik  
So I work in a university in the United Arab Emirates in charge, in particular the Markin University of Sharjah. We have a very diverse student population. Of course, Emirates are a big portion of our student body, but otherwise, we do have, I want to say over 90 nationalities on our campus. So very, very diverse. We offer a liberal arts education for big colleges and various programs, Master's and PhD. So overall, our student body is, as I mentioned, very, diverse.

Miriam Khalil  
I work at an American institution here in Qatar, and also the population is very diverse. You have the local students, you have the expats, and then you have the international students. So the expats are the non locals, who whose parents are living and working here in Qatar. So they they went, for example, to schools in Qatar. They grew up here. And then you have the international who completed their school outside of Qatar and came here for their university and education. And prior to that, I was as well in the American University in Dubai. And it was a similar experience with the diversity of the population.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's wonderful. Thank you so much. One important issue that I had, I know from many years of working as an academic advisor, is whether we are talking about students in Chicago, whether we are talking about students in Dubai, whether we are talking about students in Cairo or Lebanon, wherever they are in the Middle East, or even in the US students struggle. It is real. The struggle is real for a lot of students, irrespective of where they come. What is one universal truth about student success? You've discovered, that transcend national borders.

Rasha Tawfik  
One success that transcends national borders is related to one struggle that I found students to have, whether here in Georgia, in UAE, or even in my prior job in Calgary, Alberta. Students. And hit a point of anxiety about university, whether they hit it when they first enter university, or sometimes they're overwhelmed with excitement, so they hit it in the second semester, or have that sophomore slouch, as we say, in their sophomore year. And so really equipping students with the means to ask for help when needed, and the confidence that they can do it seems to be two important things that our students need, whether wherever they are, globally,

Miriam Khalil  
I think being there for them during the transition period is that that's very important for their success understanding what they're going through. And as you said, each each region comes with its own challenges and opportunities, and we need to be, as academic advisors, aware culturally, of what is happening, so that we can understand our students and help them through the transition.

Rasha Tawfik  
Margaret, one thing that I do want to add to your wonderful question is that I think, or I believe, advisors, maybe in North America don't realize how similar our students are, wherever they are in the world. So unless you've traveled and experienced that, you might think that students in different parts of the world, yes, they have their own unique struggles, but overall, all of our students are the same, and whatever they're experiencing in their first years tends to be universally very similar. So I'm more surprised at the similarities that I want to say than the differences between our students, regardless of where they are.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Isn't that amazing? You know, sometimes it is even on a campus like our university where we have international students, you know, they hit the ground running because of those similarities with the students they find here. It's just wonderful. It's great. So in the US here, when we are advising, you know, we have different theories of advising. You know we have developmental we have all sorts of advising theories that advise us believe in and you know, you can observe a student in the you know, who comes to the university as a freshman and just see how they progress over the years, you know, and it's really interesting, and in most cases, the developmental theory of advising is just that it is seeing how the student is evolving from one stage to the next, or from one level to the next. What are some of the theories you possibly engage in in the Middle East based, especially based on the dynamic culture that we know exists there?

Rasha Tawfik  
Well, definitely, from my experience here in the Middle East, we do, as well, adopt a very developmental theory when, when, or perspective when we are dealing with students, just because, as Miriam mentioned earlier, we do recognize the struggles that they have transitioning from high school to to university life. But one thing as well that we do here at a US is a lot of the intrusive or proactive advising, and this ties to your first question Margaret or your first comment, is because the families are so invested in the program that we do do a lot of proactive or intrusive advising so that we can help students avoid that failure that they might experience after a year or so so in in here at a US, or in many of the Middle Eastern institutions, we do a combination of developmental and probably proactive or intrusive, maybe a little bit more than what they have experienced in North America only because there's a huge investment that goes in the students education, whether by the parents or the expectation, the cultural expectations and such. Everybody's so invested in this experience that the student is going through.

Margaret Mbindyo  
absolutely and and Rasha, you talked about American universities there. You know, it fascinates me that the US has actually camped in the Middle East, whether we are talking about campuses of North Western or University of Texas or some others. It's really why do you think there is that interest by American University to set up campuses in the Middle East?

Rasha Tawfik  
So there are two types of campuses, Margaret to that point, and both Miriam and I are each in one of those. So I will speak about the American University of Georgia, and Mariam can definitely speak. But when we have American campuses in the Middle East, they are one of two things, either it's a satellite campus of an original institution in the US, and that would be Miriam's Case, or in the case of the American University of Sharjah or the American University of Dubai, or any of these, they are independent universities here, but they adopt an American curriculum and method of teaching. And these are universities that, I have to say, are very strictly monitored, and the academic standards are very strictly followed by the ministry, by everyone to make sure that these universities are offering even the same, or sometimes excelling, the education that's received and the services that are received in North America. So as far as the American campuses, like the one I'm in, these are private, but they are offering an American curriculum and an American liberal arts program, while adhering, as they said, to the requirements of the ministry and at the same time following all accreditation and certifications required of them to be on par or even excelling peer institutions. 

Margaret Mbindyo  
Thank you so much. Miriam, any comment about that?

Miriam Khalil  
I just, I just wanted to add that there is demand for American higher education, and that, I believe, encourage campuses to set up, I mean, to locate in the Middle East as well, and there is good infrastructure. I want to say about the Middle East, a great percentage of students go to private schools in the Middle East, the K to 12 is very advanced. So and you have students who go to the French baccalaureate, the International Baccalaureate, the British curriculum, you have a diversity in school curriculum, which makes it easier for American universities as well to succeed, I mean, and to to excel in the Middle East.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's amazing. So are these private schools? British system, or the US system?

Rasha Tawfik  
Everything? All systems?

Miriam Khalil  
Yes, French, British, Indian, American, everything. Canadian,

Margaret Mbindyo  
Which, which actually brings a very interesting point, because with private schools, that means you have to pay for tuition, right, and sometimes very expensive. How would you say about what would you talk about? I mean, a comment about affordability. Do you think that almost every student can afford?

Rasha Tawfik  
Here in the UAE, there's a variety of levels right of schooling, and therefore students and families can go to what they you know, are best able to afford. But one point I want to add Margaret to your comment is that, and Miriam, I'm sure you feel the same way. In Qatar, the amount of investment that governments are putting into education in this part of the world is amazing. Whether it's the schooling K to 12 or the post secondary, there is a huge understanding appreciation and investment in educational facilities and the resources that are going into education. And that is definitely helping that education is so advanced in this part of the world.

Margaret Mbindyo  
You know, I was going to talk about that now that you mentioned about it, let's just talk about it. Because I was going to, I know in Saudi Arabia, they are talking about the vision 2030, they are technological advancements that have been set up, whether it's aI centers, you know, they the Middle East seems to have embraced technology in a way. In fact, I have a question about that, and they seem to have embraced technology in a on a very serious note, whether it's technology that is good for education, whether it's technology that is good for work, for innovation. I mean, it's just amazing, and I honestly would like to challenge our audience to research for themselves. What is going on in the Middle East when it comes to investing in education, when it comes to investing in technology and in innovation? I mean, for all country like Saudi to come up with vision 2030, it is really commendable, and that includes advancement, personal advancement, in terms of technology, in terms of jobs, and so we have a lot of interest, especially from the US in. Companies moving into the Middle East to go and help with that. So my question about technology is this, because in the Middle East we have education cities. And that brings me back to the question I was asking about the US setting up campuses. You know, education cities, you know, where all sorts of innovations are taking place and students are taking what they are being taught on a very serious note. So what are your comments about that? Because I feel like that's really encouraging and and really exciting.

Rasha Tawfik  
I want to tell you something that has really, really impressed me ever since joining a US, like three years ago. And people in North America might not realize how important or significant This is Margaret, but here, at least in the UAE or in Georgia, all of the universities. Can you imagine that? Just imagine that there is a huge emphasis on education, to the point that all of the universities have their own, as you said, city, but this is like in the outskirts right of Sharjah. And so you just go into the, you know, beautifully landscaped place, and you've got like, 10 institutions, and you feel that the whole community around you is just so focused on education, and speaking about Saudi and what you mentioned, like over here, UAE has a vision for 2030 as well. There's another vision for 2025 and I've really sensed a whole focus of strategies that we lack in North America. So even when it comes to students with disabilities, right, there's the whole direction of supporting them and resources to support them that they have not that have not sensed at the same level back back in Calgary. And so to your point, yes, over here in the UAE, we do have very strong institutions in Abu Dhabi, there's knowledge city in Dubai, there's University City in Sharjah, and every day there are new institutions opening up.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's amazing. Miriam, anything you'd like to add?

Miriam Khalil  
I just want to add that we also have an education city here in Qatar, where I work. I mean, we are looking at it in the education city, state of the art campuses. I mean, beautiful opportunities for students, for education, for research, for learning, and because that's a continuation of the culture where you know that education is very important, so it's embedded. The importance of education is embedded in everything.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Absolutely. And you know when we talk about the Middle East, we are not just talking about Qatar. We are not just talking about the United Arab Emirates. We are talking about, you know, Bahrain. We are talking about Yemen, you know. We are talking about Turkey. We are talking about Iran, Iraq, Jordan. We are talking about all those countries that form the, you know, the Gulf area, and we know in most parts, it's a desert. And I've seen when I'm flying over some of these areas, agricultural lands in the desert where they are growing crops, fruits, they are growing all sorts of things, and it's in the desert. I mean, it's just very interesting. So we are not just talking about Dubai, you know, we are not just talking about Qatar. We are not talking about the United Arab Emirates. We are talking about the whole region. And a while ago, we talked about Saudi Arabia and the vision 2030 so it's really very, very interesting. And again, we have a lot to learn. Middle East is not just about war. It's not just about oil. It's not just about people sitting and waiting, you know, for food to come to their table. We are talking of a place where education is taken seriously. And I have a question for both of you, because in most cases, when you consider the research out there, especially in the developing world, when students finish their senior year in high school, they want to go abroad to study. They want to go to France. They want to go to Australia, you know, they want to go to China. The China is receiving a lot of students, you know, nowadays is that the. Case in the Middle East, are your students interested in staying or they are interested in moving to other countries for better opportunities or for further studies?

Rasha Tawfik  
We find that the students, at least from the institution that I'm part of right now, two things are happening. First of all, they're so connected to the community. So some of them actually are pursuing job opportunities first before then embarking on the next journey of their you know, academics and sometimes when things are facilitated and there are resources, they actually choose to continue their further studies here, whether it's in, as I mentioned, like in the same institution here in Georgia, or at either neighboring institutions, like in Qatar or, you know, Egypt or something but, but there's a whole as well focus on postgraduate studies that's happening as well.

Miriam Khalil  
I'll share my experience. As you mentioned, the Middle East is a broad area. So as a Lebanese who grew up in Lebanon, I had the, I mean, I was given the opportunity of that if I want to go abroad, I can. But when I looked at the institutions we had in Lebanon, we had two great American institutions in Lebanon, for example, UB , one that was founded in 1866 and one in 1924 very well established. I thought, No, I'm going to stay in Lebanon, pursue an education that is accredited and highly recognized, and be close to my family and enjoy the support system that I have. So yes, you have some who would want to go do their undergrad abroad, but a great percentage want to stay with their families and enjoy the support that they have and the great education available in the Middle East. So why not having both the great education and the family at the same time?

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's awesome. How is the job market? Because as advisors, we talk about job opportunity, we work alongside the career services in our university campuses to assist students with all sorts of things, whether it's creating a resume, whether it's internships and so on and so forth. How? How is the job market in the Middle East?

Rasha Tawfik  
Miriam, do you want to start?

Miriam Khalil  
I believe it's the most demanded market in the world. Everybody wants to come and work in the Middle East. In addition to the safety, the I mean, we enjoy the facilities, the infrastructure. And I know a lot of friends abroad who would love to relocate and and come to the Middle East to work.

Margaret Mbindyo  
I mean, we can talk about Dubai, for example, where so many people have migrated to to work. We can, we can talk about Qatar. Sometimes I'm in the airport in Qatar, and people are speaking to me in Swahili. You know, I'm serious, I I'm it's just a boiling pot of cultures with people who have traveled from all sorts of places to come and work in different parts of the Middle East. So that's awesome. Let's, let's shift gears here and talk a little bit about international students. Because we were talking about, you know, choosing to to study in Lebanon for you, Miriam, in order for you to be close to family. We know the US, of course, receives a lot of international students. We when you talk about international students, we are talking about students from all over the globe, and it's not easy for them. You know, in so many ways, and life is as even be, is is even becoming worse for international students. And yet the need for international education continues. I don't see that international travel for students is going to stop based on what is going on politically, it's only going to possibly continue, because right now, there's a lot of students going to other countries. If they cannot get a visa to come to the US, they're either going to Australia, they are going to where they can get that education. Now, when we are talking about international students here. How can we help the US advisers move from seeing international students is just, are they compliant when it comes to visas? You know, as advisers, sometimes in the US, we can. Focus all our energies thinking about whether this is international student as the right visa, or when is the visa expiring, and in that case, we are likely to miss a very important connection, because international students are rich in culture, they are rich in diversity. We can we can learn a lot from them. So my question is, how can we help the US advisers understand that they can gather so much from international students, apart from helping them to get that education and to make sure that they are not running out of their visas.

Rasha Tawfik  
that's a very, very important question. Margaret and I know that Maryam and I specifically talked about it quite a bit in many of our previous conversations, in a way, international students coming to the Middle East or to other parts other than North America find it easier to be here because there's more culture here, and there's more often understanding the culture. Which brings me to my answer to your question, advisors in North American need to be educated that there is more to international students than just the visas. And they want need to be able to to to see that, and be willing to see that and help their students beyond just the paperwork or the legal, you know, requirements or or all of that. And there needs to be an understanding which will only come by education that these students, when they come to the US or come to North America, wherever they are, they are carrying with them such a huge luggage of culture and expectations as well. I mean, sometimes whole family investments go into, you know, sending these students up to get an education in North America, and it really is disappointing or harder for the students to feel that they are able to succeed when that's all they're faced with, because that's not what they experience at home. And so it's very important for advisors, like you said, in North America, to be willing to understand the culture and be able to see beyond it, and it takes a lot to be able to instill this in advisors to make them successful in dealing with their international students.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Absolutely. Yes, Miriam?

Miriam Khalil  
So my perspective on this is that when I started my career in academic advising, my main point of reference was NACADA, which is an American institution, so I went there with an open mindset to learn about academic advising in the US and see what's applicable in our region. And I attended conferences, several conferences on student affairs in the United States, my advice would be to the advisors in the US to have, I mean, to have an open mindset and attend webinars or conferences outside the US to learn about the culture, and that's why I was invited, before by Matt me and Sean to talk about the aases Nakada, which is a collaboration in order to explore what is advising outside the US. So it's very important to have this exchange both ways for all of us to learn, because our goal is the same. We want students to succeed, we want them to develop. We want to guide them so we need to learn from each other.

Margaret Mbindyo  
It's critically important. And I'm actually a colleague of mine, and I wrote a book chapter for an akada book that is coming up. It will be released in October, and our chapter is on advising from a human rights perspective. And I'm so passionate about what we wrote and the area, or rather, that the issue of human rights really touches my heart, and I think it's just because of who I am. I'm very, very, very concerned about students, even here in our university, who seem to be under represented. And we we where our university is, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It's a very refugee welcoming area, and we still have a lot of refugees here, you know, and most of some of the students end up in our universities, some of them wear the hijab, you know. They are not scared of dressing like that. And. Walk around, and I have made it a mission of myself to stop these students and talk to them and give them my little business card and tell them come and see me in my office. And let me tell you, they come. I don't know them, but it's I have truly made it my mission to look out for these students who are walking on our campus to just talk to them. How are you? How is your day? You know, can you come to my office? Come my office is in this and they come. Listen when they come, they have a huge smile because they've seen someone who can talk to them, someone who can engage them, someone who understands that they are also students. And I just wish with the whole of my heart, all advisors embraced students, irrespective of where they come from to me, Oh, my goodness, it would just be so wonderful. It would be wonderful. And when I think in terms of my life as an international student coming all the way from my country to Penn State University, where I got my PhD, you know, life was not easy. I definitely met quite a number of people that were wonderful. They welcomed me. But I think we still have a lot of work to do as US advisers, to really see past the visa issue and documents and all that, and see the student and the fact that they are a human being that is craving for another human being to love on them, to provide that sense of caring, that sense of belonging. It's very, very important when you say that I just remembered all these things, and that's the reason Russia, you seem like you want to say something. 

Rasha Tawfik  
Thank you, Margaret, because that's exactly what these international students need, and that's why they connect you, because they feel that you have a genuine interest in the Getting to know them more beyond just the visa and the paperwork, and that's what they need, really, for them to succeed, sometimes it's just so defeating for them when they join institutions in North America and think or realize that they're just seen as a number or a student ID number, or, you know, just another transaction happening. And and advisors can easily underestimate the importance of these human connections, but they make all the difference, really.

Margaret Mbindyo  
And again, it doesn't matter the background. It doesn't matter whether they are coming from a rich background. They have all the money we all of us as human beings. We crave for that sense of belonging. We crave for people to love on us, to care, to talk to us, to just say, Good morning. It doesn't cost anything to smile, you know, just smile dear, to invite them to places. Honestly, I think this is what we should be advocating for. Even our students to do, you know, it's it's very important anyway, switching gears a little bit. If we were to create a global advisor exchange, what is the first piece of knowledge you'd want to share with a colleague in the US, and what is one thing you'd be curious for them to learn from from you.

Rasha Tawfik  
One important thing that I would share with them is, if they are going to embark on an advisor exchange, is to do this with complete humility and humbleness. Don't come with the assumption that you're going to fix everything, and that everything needs fixing, and everything is happening wrong. We are all learning from each other, and there's so much for us to learn. So that would be my first big advice for them if they want to do something like this, and I would hope that when they do come they also take back with them more empathy, because empathy is so prevalent in the Middle East due to the cultural influence, due to the family values, that sometimes we lack this a lot in North America is that, you know, really empathetic attitude and perception when We deal with students as humans, not just as numbers or cases.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Awesome, awesome. Miriam?

Miriam Khalil  
I wanted to add something to the previous question. Actually, it's about like what you mentioned, about how important for those students coming from other places to feel. Feel that there are staff or faculty who care about them. Like to take the to take a minute every day to stop and ask them how they're feeling, or ask them about I do that. I ask them about certain places in their country, food in their country. I go to their events when they have those international nights, for example. So I take the time to learn about the history and the culture of each country. And I wanted to add that I had to learn about the culture when I moved to the Gulf. So I grew up in Lebanon. When I moved I was, I mean, 28 years old, so I had to learn about the culture myself. So I understand how important is to be aware, and I've noticed that there's a big emphasis in institutions in the Middle East to train staff members on cultural awareness and to be mindful of students and staff and faculty coming from other culture very so that we can collaborate all together. So the training is very important,

Margaret Mbindyo  
very important. And you know, when we talk about making an impact, honestly, making an impact can be made through one student, one student who comes from a village that contributed money for to send this student to the US, and when they go back, that is the student that is going to be the light of the village. And you, the adviser who helped that student, will have created impact without knowing that you did. I mean, yes, go ahead, Rasha.

Rasha Tawfik  
I want to tell you something funny related to that. On my first day of university in my undergrad, I met my advisor. And I have no idea what is an advisor, or what she did, or what was her role. All I remember is that I had no idea what I'm doing on that first day, and I went into her office, and she helped me with my courses and gave me my schedule. And I was so much in love with the with with this lady, what she did with me on that first day that I often think back. And I think maybe indirectly, she set the path to my career because I felt, as a 18 year old, first day of university, that she was my savior. In many ways, I had no idea what to do otherwise. But because of like you said, like she approached it in a way that was so wonderful that she's left an impact on me, and I think subconsciously that changed my career trajectory towards advising, which, like you said it, and it doesn't have to be major steps, right? But advisors can do one small step, but it makes a whole difference completely.

Margaret Mbindyo  
And you know, again, some of these international students, honestly, they may prefer an adviser who is female or even male, irrespective, depending on their culture, and that should not be seen as something bad by the you the US advisor. It's just their culture. The female students possibly would prefer a female academic advisor. Otherwise they may never go to an advising session, because the culture is not allowing that so and that that is where we talk about cultural responsiveness, and being schooled about cultures and being able to understand the needs of different students from different backgrounds. And then we we wonder, why is this student not coming to see me. It's because of that cultural barrier. So again, the cultural responsiveness is something that every academic advisor, faculty advisor, should embrace in the US so that we can be able to reach our students. We are winding down, so a few more questions. So I want to circle back to the culture, because the culture in the Middle East really amazes me. And actually about talking about the culture, do you really ever see criminals like the way we have all sorts of criminal criminal activities. What kind of because? The reason why I'm asking that is because the culture, the family culture, is so kind of protective. It's like parents teach their kids to respect and to obey and to do the right things that. Why I'm asking this very innocent question, please, just excuse me, like, Would you be afraid walking out there? You know, in the night, I'm sorry.

Miriam Khalil  
Margaret we sleep with the doors not locked, and I'm I believe, Russia the same. It's that level of safety. You can leave your wallet in your car and nobody will touch it.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Wow. 

Rasha Tawfik  
I want to say, like, a few months after moving here, I slept at night and woke up in the morning, and I couldn't, for the life of me, find my keys. And then I was going to get late to work, and then I thought, I'll just go to work and deal with this later. I opened the door, and I had left my keys outside, like the door from outside, and nothing happened, and nobody took them, and nobody barged into my home or anything during the night.

Margaret Mbindyo  
So do you think there are certain things we may be look overlooking, actually, as a society, as a community, as advisers that we could adopt from the Middle East into our culture. In the US here,

Rasha Tawfik  
there's definitely more trust. They're more trusting here, and that's something that I know we have. We've we miss in North America. We are not as trusting towards each other as maybe we should be, and maybe rightfully, we've, we've lost that trusting feeling in North America because of everything happening around us. But that's something that maybe we should start to adopt more in North America, which we can get from here, from the Middle East.

Miriam Khalil  
I can add to this Margaret that, I mean, this is something that I used to teach as well in my business course, that the difference in culture between West and East is that the West is more individualistic and the East is more collaborative culture. So we all live together. We have common goals. That's how I mean, it's not all always about the individual. There's no level of competitiveness. And so our relationship with the student, it's not transactional. You know, as Russia mentioned earlier, the empathy, the care when you're advising, it's not just those are the courses, that's what. No, it's It's beyond that.

Rasha Tawfik  
Sorry, I want to add one more thing, Margaret and therefore you will find that whether you're academic advising or academic coaching here in the Middle East, you never start with, you know, this is what we're going to talk about. You have to have, like, a whole five minute asking about the student and how they are doing and how is their family. And if you've met the parents like, you know, the first times you inquire how the parents are doing and and you kind of build that whole rapport that doesn't happen when you're more transactionally dealing with students.

Margaret Mbindyo  
And you know that really happens in most cases actually, where people don't have time for the relational advising, because relational advising takes time, transactional does not so if you are going to save me five minutes, I will ask you a question, What can I do for you? No greeting, no nothing. And this student may be having a very rough day. Oh, my goodness. They may have come to you hoping that you are going to empathize, hoping that you were going to, you know, provide a listening ear. You're going to just listen, because sometimes we just need people to listen.

Rasha Tawfik  
And when these international students go to North America, not only it's a different educational system for many of them, but it's a different country, it's a different city, it's a different way of doing things, things as simple as Margaret, like you know how to do their laundry can be a huge problem, right? Because it's not something that they are used to. So it's really important that advisors learn the culture and therefore set their expectations as well.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Actually, yeah, and, and actually, also, when we are talking about domestic student, learning about the student as well, because if you're employing relational advising model, you there'll be time for talk. You talk about stuff that touches on that student family. You know, you will know where they come from. Is it south of Philadelphia? Is it State College in Pennsylvania. Is it Carola? I mean, you will know something about the student at least, but not knowing something about the student. There is a problem. True, there is a problem. I want to ask you two questions, very easy questions. I just want you to give me one. Word to describe the ideal advisor, student relationship in the region, in the middle eastern region, one word, just one word, describing the ideal advisor, between student and advisor relationship.

Rasha Tawfik  
If it's one word, I would use collaborative, because, in a way, they they want to feel that we are walking this journey with them more than anything. So I would use the word collaborative.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Awesome. How about you Miriam?

Miriam Khalil  
I mean, it's a word that will complete what Russia mentioned, which is caring because they feel it. If you don't care, they would feel it, and you will not be successful as an advisor if the student does not feel that you really care about their academic and personal journey. I want to add as well that in the Middle East, in some institutions, we have parent orientation. So it's not only the care about the student, it's also care about educating the parents about the education system. Because probably they didn't, they did not have the chance to go to American institution the parents so they don't understand what to expect. So institutions also put an effort to engage the parents in the journey to further support the student.

Margaret Mbindyo  
What is the place of FERPA in the Middle East? 

Miriam Khalil  
All of us have to be trained on FERPA.

Rasha Tawfik  
Yeah, it's there, but, but there are some different differences. So I just want to touch base on what Miriam last said. Margaret over here orientation, Student Orientation starts with a welcome session for the parents, like, can you so parents actually come with their students on the first day of orientation and have a whole welcome session that's attended by, You know, the chancellor, the provost, and so on. So that's a welcome session for the parents. We do have a parent orientation, and then the student orientation, you know, starts for the following week. And so the parents are really an integral part. Which brings me, then to your question, yes, we all recognize for a pop we all implemented to a degree, but it is not to the same extent that it is in the US. So over here, for example, when the student goes on probation, the parents are actually informed that their student is on probation, and part of the probation process is a meeting with a student and a parent. And that circles back to the first concept we talked about, is that this is an investment for the parents and the whole family, yes, is on this journey with the student, and so when there are hiccups like probation or such, the parents are involved, one because you are seeking their support. It is not just the institution that's supporting the student, it's the family as well and the parents and that, there are no surprises right, as to what academic status their their student is in. So we do have purple, but it's a little bit more expanded or or a little bit different here.

Miriam Khalil  
I think it's different, sorry, but I just wanted to emphasize there's a difference between the American accredited and American institution. Because when you are in an American Campus, no, we have to apply it the same way, like we need the consent from the student. So just I wanted to highlight that there's a difference between the American accredited and the American campuses when it comes to the implementation of FERPA.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Just out of curiosity. And thank you so much for for that clarifying that really very important, because for many parents out there, many parents want to be involved. They want to know how their students are doing, what grades they are getting, and so on and so forth. So again, very but let's switch gears a little bit and talk a little bit about communication. Do you mostly use email, WhatsApp, Facebook, sorry, sorry. Face to face meetings. How do you communicate with the students?

Rasha Tawfik  
We use email and text messaging.

Margaret Mbindyo  
in what format the text messaging part.

Rasha Tawfik  
what do you mean is it? 

Margaret Mbindyo  
Is it like a software for sending mass texts like mongoose?

Rasha Tawfik  
It's a software that is facilitated by the telecommunications company here, but it sends personalized mass emails, mass messages. So it's it's mass message, mass messages, but it's personalized to the student using, of course, their student ID, Number and Name and everything. 

Margaret Mbindyo  
And then they'll get that message on their phone, like a text message. That's amazing, but as well as an email with the same as well as an email, yes, that's That's amazing. And finally, what is the biggest lesson your students have taught you, just in one sentence? What is the biggest lesson your students have taught you?

Rasha Tawfik  
My students have taught me, and this is not just here in my current role, but throughout my academic journey, that there's always more to what the eye sees when it comes to students. And so I'm always looking to understand more about them, understand where they're coming from, so I can help them in the best possible way. So there's always more to what you see in front of you when you just see a student.

Miriam Khalil  
Well, they told me how important my role is and how significant it is in their journey and and to look at the role from different perspectives. So I'm not the same person that I was in 2010 for example, when, when I started, completely different. When you realize how important you are and the role that you play, yeah, you start also the way you implement, advising, the way you look at advising, the way you look at the student, becomes more, I don't know if we want to say the word deep or the more engaged as well. In the role is not to tell the student, yeah, those are the courses. Here are the policies. It's your role. No, this is not the role of an academic advisor, because softwares can do that. It's more in a transformational process. And as Russia said, seeing where they start and and then seeing them the day of graduation. And it's a big difference. And I cry in every graduation.

Margaret Mbindyo  
Yes, the cry. If you are a caring academic advisor, faculty advisor, you are going to cry when you see your students. Some of your students actually, especially those that have serious stories of triumph, yeah, those that have overcome challenges walking there to graduate, it's always just such a heartwarming experience for people there, but for me, I would say one thing students have taught me is To never assume, never, never assume a student who walks through your door because you have something beyond yes, oh yes to never assume you know they, may, they may, they may look together, but they are breaking inside Exactly, yeah, oh, my goodness, this has been such a wonderful, wonderful discussion. I feel like we need that part two, honestly.

Rasha Tawfik  
Talking about graduation, like you mentioned. I mean, graduation all over the world is is a very heartwarming and, you know, familial experience, but I find over here, that it just makes a difference when you see that not only the student is coming to thank you, but the parents and the siblings are coming to thank you for how they you've supported their students throughout their journey, and that you've made an impact on helping them reach that point of Graduation. And I think for all of us in academia, you realize that this is why you love what we do, right? Why? Why you love the job that we do?

Margaret Mbindyo  
Absolutely, absolutely, because, you know, it's, it's, it's a lot. And again, I'm serious. I think we need a part two. We see so much to talk about, you know, yeah, but we have, we have to end. It's been slightly over an hour. It was such a wonderful, wonderful session just conversing about these things that means so much for us, and it gives us the energy to go on and to just do the best we can while we have the energy to do so.

Rasha Tawfik  
Absolutely. Thank you Margaret, thank you Miriam, thank you.

Miriam Khalil  
Thank you for the opportunity for us to share, because I believe there's a lot to learn about our region and about the beauty of our region and the culture and the education and the history and everything. I'm very proud of my heritage, and I would love the whole world to know about what we're doing in the region.

Margaret Mbindyo  
That's amazing, wonderful. Thank you so much.