WVU Global Affairs, Morgantown, WV (2026)

11/13/2023

We are grateful to Doina Jikich for a generous gift, establishing the Doina Jikich Scholarship to support international students at WVU.

Read below why she is giving back ⤵️

"By establishing a scholarship for international students, I’m fulfilling my dream of investing in the power of cultural diversity to enrich WVU’s academic community.

My decision is driven by a desire to foster cross-cultural understanding and exchange while supporting students in their pursuit of an education at WVU. This is especially meaningful given my 30 years of service to expanding opportunities for international students and scholars.

I strongly believe in the ripple effect that scholarships can have to create a more interconnected, equitable and inclusive world.

Scholarships allow for collaborative research and innovation between international students by supporting their efforts to tackle some of the most pressing global challenges. They also promote tolerance and understanding, which is of paramount importance.

My motivation behind creating this scholarship is deeply tied to my personal values. As an immigrant myself, I have come to fully appreciate and celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity. Over the course of my career at WVU, I have seen lives transformed and dreams become reality through scholarships, which open doors for educational opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible.

An eye-opening experience on the positive impact of scholarships has been my own daughter, a WVU graduate who was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study abroad. The experience opened the door to a world of opportunities and ultimately led to a career as a U.S. diplomat. She is currently the Human Rights Chief at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva, and also dedicates time to mentoring students and young professionals to pursue careers in international affairs.

I look forward to watching the beneficiaries of this scholarship soar as they build skills and give back to the WVU community which has given me a lifetime of memories.

I have fond memories of the Mountainlair and all the wonderful international student events that took place there. My favorite events were the annual international student festivals, as they engaged the WVU global community in lively celebrations of cultural diversity.

These celebrations provided the students with the opportunity to showcase their cultures through performances and exhibits, as well as a variety of ethnic cuisine."

07/31/2023

“I applied for the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program scholarship through the U.S. embassy in Lebanon, and very few of us get accepted. Once we’re accepted, they place us at a university. We tell them what we’re studying, and in the U.S. since law is a graduate major, and I was already a 3rd-year law student in Lebanon since it’s undergrad there I was placed here, and after looking it up online I was so excited to come.

There is solidarity here between the community, like the many volunteering opportunities. The volunteering culture here is also unique to the U.S. because there isn’t as much community service at home, or it isn’t as important as it is here. This community is like a big family. The bonds here people have are very close and they understand each other.

You are entitled to execute your dreams here at this university because they give you all of the resources imaginable. The diversity is great too, there are clubs for every identity group, and you have the resources to create your own group and cherish or share your identity with others. They don’t try to make you like everyone else and encourage you to express your uniqueness. It is incredible. WVU is home for us now, even if we’re here for a few months, it’s home.” 💛💙

- Jad Chahrour, Law exchange student from Lebanon 🇱🇧

07/24/2023

"Lebanon is very unique. It used to be called the ‘Switzerland of the East’ and is known to be the bridge between Europe and the Asian or Arab countries. Two different cultures exist in Lebanon, and it shows there are no problems with the differences and they can co-exist together. There are Lebanese that are very open to new ideas and are progressive, and those that are more conservative and stick to Eastern beliefs and cultures.

Don’t listen to the stereotypes you hear about Lebanon, there may be issues, but tourism is still great and there are many nice places to visit like the mountains, beaches, and famous cities. The national museum is very nice as well as the historical vestiges of older civilizations. The people are also very welcoming, we are known for this, and we love to show off how beautiful Lebanon is. English and French are also common languages along with Arabic.

Just visit! Everyone is welcome and should see Lebanon. Get in contact with me or anyone from Lebanon that’s a student or was a student at WVU and we’ll help and be very welcoming. It may be weird to hear but people will welcome you into their home and take you around and invest their time into making you happy. I am happy to help, so come visit us!”

- Jad Chahrour, Law exchange student from Lebanon 🇱🇧

07/18/2023

Students staying in Morgantown for the summer can find fun outdoor activities with Adventure WV! Join AWV at one of West Virginia’s multiple river festivals for fun in the sun and on the water! 🚣 🌊

07/17/2023

“I wanted to come here because my parents and brother all graduated from schools in the U.S. and talked about how good it was, so I wanted to come and see the people, the culture, and how people learn here because it’s so different from where I’m from.

My dad always used to play the song ‘Country Roads’, so I came here to see what Country Roads and West Virginia was like. So, when I saw my university back home had an exchange program with WVU I was like ‘Why not?’.

I’ve been having a lot of fun here and met a lot of different people and international students, and the locals here are very nice. It feels like I’ve been on a holiday because every week I can travel somewhere since our schedule here is a bit freer than back home.”
💛💙

- Izza Illiana Iskandar, Chemical Engineering Exchange Student from Malaysia 🇲🇾

07/10/2023

“I was placed at WVU by World Learning under the State Department and they helped facilitate my exchange program and thought WVU would be a perfect place for me.

The political science courses I have taken here are not offered in my country. I think I have brought in my knowledge over here by studying and going back to PNG will put me way farther ahead than those who are studying the same things elsewhere. I’m studying political science to become a diplomat. Diplomats build bridges, help solve problems, and bring countries together, which is why I love politics.

WV is the best place for me. It is awesome and just feels like home." 💛💙

- Vernon Gawi, Political Science student from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

07/03/2023

“This is my second time at WVU. I came when I was an undergrad for one semester as an exchange student in 2019. I ended up going back home and graduating with my Bachelor’s degree, and when I was looking for opportunities for a Master’s program I had already known about WVU’s program. When I applied to the program I chose to be here because of the environment. I felt so welcome, and it didn’t matter about my background or religion or skin color or anything, people appreciated me for what I was bringing to the table. That made a huge impact on me and my decision to come here. It felt like home here, and I thought why not go back?

My advice is to try new things. It doesn’t matter if you do it with friends or alone, just do it. A lot of people can be there alone too, and you make friends. Volunteer too, it’s the best way for you to get to know people and feel what it’s like to be involved and give back to the community. That is something so impactful and can help you grow a lot as a professional and a human.” 💛💙

- Ezequiel Rosario Mateo, Coaching and Sports Education major from the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴

06/26/2023

"As someone with a computer science background who completed a bachelor's and master’s degree in Nigeria, I have a passion for fashion design. I used to sew before that and I love to style people, dress them up, and design. So, I was looking into where I could study some fashion courses and stumbled upon WVU. Looking at the resources, faculty, and community I decided this would be a good place for me to integrate. I have a master’s in design and merchandising, and am in the 2nd year of my doctoral degree.” 💛💙

- Damilola Fasinu, studying Human & Community Development, from Nigeria 🇳🇬

06/26/2023

Join us and WVU Career Services Center for our online Career Advising and OPT/CPT Zoom workshop TODAY at 1:30 PM!
Please email [email protected] by noon with your name & student ID number to RSVP & you'll be sent a meeting ID and password! See you there! 😊

06/21/2023

Students staying in Morgantown for the summer can find fun outdoor activities with Adventure WV! Join AWV at one of West Virginia’s multiple river festivals for fun in the sun and on the water! 🚣 🌊

06/20/2023

Happy 160th Birthday, West Virginia - our wild and wonderful home among the hills! 🎉🥳

06/19/2023

“I applied to the Fulbright Program and they allowed me to pick universities I was interested in and WVU was my first choice. WVU is one of the top schools for my field and is great at research, so that is why I wanted to come here and I’m so happy the program placed me here. I love WVU, the number one thing is it’s a big school that gives you all the infrastructure you need to succeed academically, but it is still small enough to give you that sense of community which I enjoy.” 💛💙

- Valcia Bulule, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering student from Mozambique 🇲🇿

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