An international student at IT Sligo is promoting studying in Ireland to an international audience through the Education in Ireland website.
A student on the BSc in Biomedical Science, Fawwas Al Shammari is the first Government-sponsored Kuwaiti student at IT Sligo, and he has just started a series of written and video blogs on the Education in Ireland website which is used as an information portal for studying in Ireland by students all over the world.
While Arabic is his first language, Fawwas has published six sci-fi themed books in English in Kuwait and is relishing the opportunity to communicate to students all over the world about studying at IT Sligo.
“I knew nothing about Sligo before I came here,” said Fawwas, who has eight brothers and three sisters, “but I really like Sligo because it’s smaller than the bigger cities but there is still plenty to do. Everyone is very friendly.”
He has adjusted to life in Sligo well and has joined a number of clubs, including the Aikido Society where he’s learning skills he needs for a part he will play in a play at home next Summer in one of Kuwait’s leading theatres, Kuwait Little Theatre.
A celebrated author and actor in his home country, he said he is keen to get his degree in Biomedical Science ‘for security’ to back up a potential career in the arts.
Patrick Lynch, Commercial and International Sales Manager at IT Sligo said the Institute is making great strides in increasing the number of international students at Sligo; “This year we have experienced a 20 per cent increase in the number of international students’ enrolling.” he said. “We have students from France, USA, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Canada, Kuwait, Russia, Mauritius, Sierra Leone and the Sultanate of Oman.”
The international students add enormously to the fabric of student life at the Institute but they also play an important part in the local economy, he said. “International students, like all students, contribute to our local economy, but they also visit our tourist attractions, their families and friends come to visit them and importantly, when they go home they continue to act as ambassadors for the region.”
Internationalisation in higher education is highlighted as a strategic priority by the Government in the blueprint for the future of higher education, the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030.
To follow Fawwas’ blog about IT Sligo click here.