Asma Jaber

Asma Jaber

Truman Scholar: Branch out to learn more about others, oneself

  • Hometown: Travelers Rest, S.C.
  • High School: Travelers Rest High School
  • Major: Double major in anthropology and international studies
  • Video (1:56)

“College has shown me that you can combine activism and the academic experience and find beauty in bringing them together,” said Asma Jaber, a Harry S. Truman scholar in the South Carolina Honors College and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.

Jaber heads to Washington, D.C., this summer to work with Oxford International Review on two projects: native current rule in Afghanistan and the Iraq war. Ultimately, Jaber sees herself as an advocate for immigrants in the United States as either a lawyer or college professor teaching migration or Middle East studies.

A study-abroad and research experiences led to her to concentrate on Middle Eastern studies as part of a May session course taught by Dr. Ken Perkins, said Jaber, president of the Muslim Student Association and a member of Alpha Phi Omega service organization. “I learned so much exploring that amazing country. My research and activist work led to two projects: one on the Iraqi children victims of war and another, a fast-a-thon in which I met an Iraqi family whose life was disrupted.”

Jaber says students entering the university this fall shouldn't think of college as a linear experience from one semester to the next and one year to the next. She said she thinks of it more like a tree.

“Explore every small branch ... courses, lectures, activities and meeting different people,” she said. “There is always someone cool to learn something from. The beauty is, in doing so, you'll find yourself.”

To help students venture without getting caught out on a limb, she recommends getting to know staff in the offices of student life, study abroad and fellowship and scholar programs.

“They provide the personal touch and make sure you won't feel like you're lost in a big place,” said Jaber, a recent member of USA TODAY's All-USA Academic Team. “There is diversity in a large state school, but staff makes it small and beautiful.”

Jaber said a recent campus event reaffirmed her non-linear thinking about college.

“It was the most intellectually stimulating day,” said Jaber. “I went to a symposium on the life and writing of Salman Rushdie, who was speaking on campus the next day. As I was walking home, so many questions flooded through my mind. I was confused and happy all at once, and then I realized how much I'd miss these academic lectures and symposia.”

Most of all, Jaber says, “I'll miss walking through the Horseshoe.”

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May 8-9, 2009


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