Shaheen Alghanim talks about growing up in Qatar
One of the most-asked questions by the eighth grade students from Lowe’s Grove and Neal Middle Schools to the volunteer Cross Continent MBA students at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business was: “Can you speak the language?”
Replies of “Ni Hao” and “Hola” piqued the kids’ interest, and plenty of repetition ensued before the volunteers continued teaching the customs, traditions and conditions of their respective global region.
Malcom Riley brought together six other Cross Continent MBA students to represent Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Tracy Du and Chen Kung started off the presentations with an interactive lesson about China, followed by Sandro Garcia-Alvarez discussing Spanish culture; Shaheen Alghanim talked about his life in Qatar; and Sumit Shah and Varun Agarwal wrapped up with India.
“Their rationale is that many local children do not have much opportunity for foreign travel or interactions with natives from distant lands,” said Kevin Anselmo, associate director of public relations for the Fuqua School of Business. “The interactions with MBA students will help these young students develop a greater understanding, appreciation and curiosity regarding different cultures.”
Check out our slideshow of the volunteers and kids during the program.
