See photos from the Hokies in the Middle East alumni event in Dubai

More than 85 Virginia Tech alumni, students, and friends gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 16, 2018, for the first Hokies in the Middle East alumni networking event.

The event was an initiative of the Language and Culture Institute, with support from Alumni Relations, the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and Virginia Alumni in the UAE.

 

See more photos on our Facebook page.

LCI students tour largest library in the world

Students and staff from the LCI in Northern Virginia recently visited the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. It is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and it serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with more than 162 million items. The collections include books, sound recordings, motion pictures, photographs, maps, and manuscripts.

Read students' accounts of their field trip below.

LCI welcomes UAE Scholarships Office representatives

From left: Ms. Maha Saeed Al Dhabari, chief academic adviser; Mr. Juma Bin Aati Alrumaithi, director of the Scholarships Office; Dr. Guru Ghosh, vice president for Outreach and International Affairs; Ms. Ayesha Juma AlKhateri, head of academic section; and Dr. Donald Back, director of the LCI.

The Language and Culture Institute on Friday welcomed representatives from the Scholarships Office (SCO) of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MOPA).

Making the trip from Abu Dhabi were Mr. Juma Bin Aati Alrumaithi, the director of the Scholarships Office; Ms. Ayesha Juma AlKhateri, head of the academic section of the study abroad division; and Ms. Maha Saeed Al Dhabari, chief academic adviser of the internal scholarships department.

Mr. Al Rumaithi was appointed acting director of the Scholarships Office in February. He currently oversees MOPA's Internal and External scholarship departments. He holds master's degrees in business administration and strategic and security studies.

Ms. Ayesha joined MOPA in 2006.  She holds a wealth of knowledge of the education system in the UAE, having worked in education for the past 12 years. She has a master's degree in international business and a bachelor's in computer engineering.

Ms. Maha joined MOPA as a scholarship coordinator in 2009. She currently advises sponsored students at private universities in the UAE and liaises with these universities. She has a degree in business and a higher diploma in banking and financial services.

During their time on campus, they met with representatives from across Virginia Tech, including Vice President for Outreach and International Affairs Guru Ghosh; Luisa Havens Gerardo, vice provost for enrollment; Juan Espinooza, associate vice provost for enrollment management; Lia Kelinsky-Jones, interim associate director at the Cranwell International Center; and Glenda Scales, associate dean for global engagement and chief technology officer at the College of Engineering.