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Nosimat Salami

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Nosimat Salami

<i>Pronouns:</i> She/her/hers <i>Home Institution:</i> Gettysburg College <i>Expected Graduation:</i> 2024 <i>Major / Minor:</i> Health Science and Public Policy / Educational Studies <i>Study Abroad Location:</i> Cairo, Egypt <i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> As-salamu alaykum <i>Program Provider:</i> The American University in Cairo <i>Identity:</i> African American/Black, First-Generation College Student <i>Future Career Goals:</i> My ultimate career goal is to start a nonprofit organization whose primary aim is to enhance access to and awareness of wellness options available to Latinx and African populations worldwide. Areas I want to concentrate on are preventive healthcare and education, which includes having access to better food options and health education. Lastly, an essential component of my organization would be to change or create new health policies that would allow underdeveloped communities access to housing, education, and employment. <i>Top 3 Goals for your time abroad:</i> 1. My first goal is to be more open-minded; this includes trying local food, being proficient in Arabic and engaging with the community. 2. My second goal is to go to the Bayn al-Qasrayn, this is one of many monumental buildings I want to go to. But I am really excited to see and learn about the history of Egyptian architecture. 3. Lastly, my third goal is to find research opportunities within the Global Public Health programs offered at AUC

As with many excursions in Egypt, my camping trip to Egypt’s Black and White Desert has been the best trip I have been on thus far. My friends and I went hiking then camping for two days and saw amazing landscapes!

On our first day, we climbed dunes at the Black Desert, and it felt so surreal, because the view was amazing. Then our next stop was the Crystal Mountain at the Agbat Valley, which was about an hour and a half away. The hills were made out of clear-like crystals, and luckily, we got there just in time to see the sunset. We eventually got to our camping site, and though it was cold at night, the stars and moon in the sky made up for it. On the second day, we went to a sand canyon, which was a bit further from our camping site, and we took really cool pictures together.

This trip made me appreciate the smaller things in life even more, and I am glad that I got the opportunity to experience this with the amazing friends that I have made here.