For the third year in a row, students from Saudi Arabia in the University of Delaware’s English Language Institute traveled to Puerto Rico to help families build hurricane-resistant homes.

Saudi students lend a hand in Puerto Rico

Article by Tabitha Groh October 05, 2018

Saudi English Language Institute students help families build hurricane-resistant homes

When Saudi Arabian students travel to the University of Delaware's English Language Institute for the SABIC Foundation Year, they come to learn English and experience America, but sometimes that experience goes much further than expected. That was true again in 2018, when for the third straight year, the students spent a week in Puerto Rico helping build better homes for families in Villa del Rio.

The trip is part of a larger service learning initiative developed at the ELI that will soon be adopted by all SABIC Foundation Year programs, which help students prepare to be successful in their undergraduate studies and as future leaders at Saudi Arabia’s largest public company.

Villa del Rio in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico was founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, which ravaged the eastern end of the island in 1989 as a category 3 hurricane, leaving nearly 28,000 people homeless.

The students' service trip to Puerto Rico was part of the SABIC Foundation Year, a program sponsored by SABIC, the largest public company in Saudi Arabia, based out of Riyadh with U.S. headquarters in Houston.

Since 2016, MariaJosé Riera, ELI SABIC program coordinator, and Scott Duarte, an assistant professor, have led this service learning trip to the Villa del Rio community with Global Works Travel.

While in Puerto Rico, the students work with professionals who volunteer their time, learning how to build more hurricane-resistant homes through hands-on projects.

This was the first trip to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria hit the island in September of 2017.

“We saw buildings still standing that the SABIC group had worked on before,” said Riera.

Students worked side-by-side with the families of Villa del Rio and students from other trips to affect the lives of 11 families.

"It wasn’t my first volunteer work, but it was the first time to hurt myself for the sake of someone I didn’t know,” said Khalid Alhindi, an SABIC student. “I knew that I benefited others, that I made a difference."

At the start of the week, the students began their days early and by 4:30 p.m. were ready to end their work and go to the beach to cool off. By Thursday and Friday, they refused to stop, pushing themselves to keep working.

“We were enthusiastic and pumped up to work more,” said Anas Alfageeh, an SABIC student. “At one point I felt addicted to work, the feeling that comes when I see the smiles on the families’ faces is priceless. Even when I go back in my memory and start remembering that day I still feel something in my heart.”

Duarte prepared the 11 Saudi students for their travel to Puerto Rico through classwork designed to introduce the students to Puerto Rican culture and the socioeconomic relationship of Puerto Rico and the U.S.

As part of their film course, also taught by Duarte, the students recorded and edited their own documentary about their trip, including footage of the students reflecting on their experiences. A screening of the documentary was held in early August in the Trabant University Center Theater.

“While I thought that my trip to Puerto Rico would be a single volunteering experience, it was actually eye-opening to the world of community service,” said Fahad Alqabaa, another SABIC student.

After returning to Newark, the students were asked to analyze the project they worked on to improve the project or resolve a problem, given real-world criteria and constraints, all in their non-native language.

This service learning aspect of the UD ELI SABIC program has made a strong impression on the students who engage in the service, and on the SABIC leadership. Based on the experience of students at the UD ELI, SABIC will implement service learning in all Foundation Year programs across the U.S.

“At SABIC, giving back to our community is a part of our DNA,” said Shelli Lee, manager of the North American Educational Programs at SABIC. “Instilling students with the value of community service is not only in line with the values of our U.S. academic culture, but it reflects SABIC’s commitment to social responsibility. We are very grateful to the University of Delaware for providing our students with this opportunity that helps them learn more about American culture and also prepares them to be responsible global citizens.”

The SABIC Foundation Year is a program sponsored by SABIC, the largest public company in Saudi Arabia, based out of Riyadh with U.S. headquarters in Houston. Students spend anywhere from 10 to 18 months in the Foundation Year program before they transition to top U.S. universities in engineering and business.

UD currently has 17 students in their Foundation Year and 11 SABIC undergraduate scholars.

Saudi students working during service trip to Puerto Rico

“While I thought that my trip to Puerto Rico would be a single volunteering experience, it was actually eye-opening to the world of community service,” said Fahad Alqabaa, a SABIC student.