ELI grads cross paths as doctoral students

From a large city in Japan and a small village in Saudi Arabia, two doctoral students met in Newark in the acclaimed physical therapy department at the University of Delaware. Aside from their personal interests in working in a helping profession, they share another common experience. Both Yuri Yoshida (’03) and Ali Alnahdi (‘07) graduated from the English Language Institute.

ELI grads Yuri Yoshida and Ali Alnahdi are both doctoral students in UD's Department of Physical Therapy

When she was 13, Yuri’s grandmother died of a stroke. Having helped her grandmother try to recover some of her mobility before her death, Yuri determined that she would become a physical therapist. She became certified and worked in a hospital in Tokyo, Japan. There she read articles written by Dr. Lynn Snyder-Mackler in UD’s physical therapy department. With the aid of an electronic translator, she emailed Snyder-Mackler. They determined that Yoshida would be a good fit for the program if she could speak English. She studied at the ELI from June 2002 through January 2003, returned to her work in Japan for several months, and reentered the ELI from April through August 2003. Now, as a doctoral student, she is a teaching assistant for the department.

Ali also knew that he wanted to work in a helping profession. First, he tried dentistry, but soon abandoned it for physical therapy. After studying at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and wanting to have hands-on experience, he worked in a military rehabilitation hospital. Subsequently, he earned his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Finding that he, too, wanted to be Snyder-Mackler’s student, he began his doctoral studies in UD’s physical therapy department in January 2008. Doing research now, he will begin his TA work next summer.

Both Ali and Yuri said that their experiences at the ELI exceeded their expectations. They were impressed with the organization and variety of classes offered. Yuri learned that making friends at the ELI “widened herself,” and it was subsequently easier for her to make other friends. Both agreed that language was not the only skill acquired at the ELI. They also learned strategies for working with others’ attitudes, which has helped them “to calm down” and to cope with the challenges of doctoral studies. • JL

Editor’s note:  Ali can be reached at and Yuri at.