Salen Alharthi’s collegiate career has taken him across the world.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Taibah University in his home country of Saudi Arabia. In 2010, he moved to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Colorado Boulder. Alharthi then came to the University of Memphis, one of 11 U.S. universities that offers a PhD in Applied Linguistics, to obtain his PhD in the field.
But he struggled through his travels to adjust to the cultural divide he felt in the United States.
“It is always hard to move from one culture to another and expect a non-native to function as natives,” Alharthi said. “It is like pushing someone in a swimming pool who has never swam before and telling them to swim. This creates bad consequences for students and might cause dropouts.”
While studying at the University of Memphis, Alharthi discovered a moderately sized Saudi Arabian community and decided to start an organization. He created the created Saudi Student Organization in September 2014. The organization has over 84 members and is made up of seven officers: two vice presidents, a treasurer, sports coordinator, cultural coordinator and a social coordinator.
The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, an organization that helps Saudi Arabians strive in the U.S. and abroad, influenced Alharti while he was living in Colorado. His goal at the U of M was to establish an organization that could build off of that.
The Saudi Student Organization aims to help Saudi Arabians who are coming to the United States and studying at a U.S. university for the first time.
“Media is saying Saudi’s are doing multiple things,” Alharti said. “The goal with the organization is to also minimize cultural bias by showing them the real Saudi Arabian and allow them to ask a Saudi Arabian about his or her culture.”
The Organization holds events to make their cause more present on campus. On March 20, they will hold “Saudi Women’s Night,” which is meant to embrace Saudi Arabian’s women culture.
Alaa Alghandi, vice president of Saudi Student Organization, created the event with about 14 women from the Saudi Arabian community. It will be held in room 340 of the University Center. There will be free Henna tattoos, food and a station for women to write their names in Arabic.
The Saudi Student Organization also will be participating in the University’s Multiple Affairs Office’s International Fair in April for the first time.
