The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Asma Jaber Asma Jaber received honors for academic and community work.

Asma Jaber was named to the second team of USA Today's 2008 All-USA College Academic Team in February.

Jaber, a fourth-year international studies and anthropology student, is the seventh Carolinian to receive this honor.

The program honors 60 undergraduate students for serving their communities and society outside of the classroom as well as for their academic success. The students are then split into first team, second team, third team and honorable mention.

The program honors students who help to alleviate global issues. Jaber said she was impressed by her fellow honorees' accomplishments.

"It was a humbling experience reading about the other students," Jaber said.

The process requires an application, which includes a personal essay and letters of recommendation. The honorees are listed in USA Today with their biographies.

Jaber said she applied last semester after being advised by the Office of Fellowships & Scholar Programs to do so.

"I was under the impression that it would be nice to get this, but I wasn't sure how competitive it would be," Jaber said.

Jaber said she was excited to find out she had been chosen.

"I found out from a fellow student who sent me a Facebook message," Jaber said

Jan Smoak, the associate director of the Office of Fellowships & Scholar Programs, said she thought Jaber deserved the honor.

"She is very committed to assisting refugees," Smoak said, "She's a student trying to make a broad impact for refugees."

It was Jaber's humanitarian efforts which helped her to the second team. Jaber, who is involved with the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and the Muslim Student Association, chaired the SC-Fast-a-Thon.

The SC-Fast-a-Thon was held in October and benefited Iraqi children.

"We had people pledge to fast for a day … and we took donations," Jaber said.

The donated money went to the non-profit organization "No More Victims," an organization dedicated to helping injured Iraqi children.

Jaber said she hopes to help bring about social justice in the Middle East and this was a platform for her to help do so.

"You see numbers of people dying ... it stresses the humanitarian aspect of war: this is what happens to people," Jaber said.

Jaber also said she volunteered at Catholic Charities off of Immigration Services.

"I did some paperwork and translating of documents from Arabic into English," Jaber said.

Jaber said she thinks that serving others can turn students into more well-rounded people. "When you become too involved in academic studies, it kind of takes of whatever the human aspect from what you're studying," Jaber said. "I think you need that human touch to give passion to what you're doing."

Over the summer, Jaber said she plans to intern with the Oxford International Review.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools