For Jordanian high school student Mohammad Qabaa, a 12th grader from the Ma’an region, the chance to study in the United States is about so much more than academics. He sees attending university here as a gateway to a world of new possibilities.
Qabaa got to explore his dream after coming here this summer thanks to the $250,000 grant Temple’s Center for American Language and Culture (TCALC) received from the U.S. Embassy/Amman and EducationUSA in Amman in Fall 2023. This Jordan EducationUSA Scholarship Grant allowed TCALC to develop the Jordan Pre-college Opportunity Program to provide a United States pre-college experience for high-achieving financially disadvantaged Jordanian high school students.
“He is exactly the student for which this grant is designed. He had few resources for learning about higher education in the U.S., yet his motivation and drive to pursue his dream of studying in the U.S. is strong. This program has truly opened doors for this extraordinary young man.”
– Jackie McCafferty, TCALC Director
JPOP combines in-person and virtual workshops, pre-college preparatory courses and a U.S. campus experience over a period of 18 months. The goal is to encourage students to enroll in university in the U.S. in Fall 2025.
After receiving this prestigious grant, TCALC Director, Jackie McCafferty, and Assistant Vice President for Global Engagement, Martyn Miller, visited Ma’an in October 2023 as part of their outreach and recruitment efforts. They visited prospective project partners in Amman as well as remote towns outside of the primary governate with the goal of identifying on-the-ground partners to assist in outreach and finding the students most qualified for this program.
“Mohammad is from Ma’an, a small traditional town in the desert four hours south of Amman.” said McCafferty reflecting on when she first met him. “He is exactly the student for which this grant is designed. He had few resources for learning about higher education in the U.S., yet his motivation and drive to pursue his dream of studying in the U.S. is strong. This program has truly opened doors for this extraordinary young man.”
Last spring, Qabaa and nine other JPOP students began preparing for the U.S. portion of their experience with bi-weekly virtual workshops focused on topics such as finding the right college fit, exploring majors, and identifying scholarships for international students.
This past summer, Qabaa and his peers flew to the U.S. to participate in specially designed pre-college courses led by TCALC, along with activities that exposed them to college life, future careers and the Greater Philadelphia area.
“I applied to the JPOP program because it was an incredible chance to build my career and explore new horizons,” said Qabaa. “I’ve never been away from home and away from my country, so this is my time to discover the rest of the world,” he added.
In his journey of discovery, the program’s academic workshops ignited a newfound passion in him for business. “I LOVE it!” he said with enthusiasm. “I’ve visited different companies and was able to talk [and discover] more about numbers and money. I never thought I liked numbers and money, but I learned so much about business that I love it now.”
He credited his supportive and inspirational teachers with creating an environment where students like him could thrive, “They were very helpful and never made anyone feel inferior for not knowing as much,” he said.
Looking ahead, Qabaa’s ambitions have only grown. “I want to own my own business and work for myself. I want to build an empire,” he said confidently.
Already, JPOP has helped Qabaa adjust to the idea of studying in a foreign country and, in his own words, helped him become a more resilient person. “This program prepared me for dorm life and adapting to a new environment,” he said. “The main thing you must learn when going to a new environment is how to communicate and understand new people.”
“I applied to the JPOP program because it was an incredible chance to build my career and explore new horizons,” said Qabaa. “I’ve never been away from home and away from my country, so this is my time to discover the rest of the world.”
– Mohammad Qabaa, JPOP Student
The experience also included lots of fun, such as playing volleyball down the shore in nearby Ocean City, New Jersey, something Qabaa had never experienced before.
As the in-person segment of the program at Temple ended and Qabaa readied himself to return home, his determination to continue his educational journey in the U.S. strengthened. “One hundred percent yes! I can’t wait to come back and study here,” he said, confirming his plans to apply to a U.S. university after finishing high school.
After returning home in Fall 2024, JPOP students will attend virtual workshops emphasizing the application essay and materials required for international scholarships, such as the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship. Next, McCafferty will visit Jordan in October to attend individualized meetings with each student and their parents to finalize the students’ applications and scholarship materials for early action submission.
The remaining workshops from January to July 2025 will focus on preparing the JPOP students for living and studying in the United States. Topics will include classroom expectations, cultural norms, and stress and time management. JPOP students will also attend peer-to-peer virtual sessions to develop a peer support network that will be available to them when they start university in Fall 2025.
Making a Difference
JPOP has the potential to transform the lives of many Jordanian students by equipping them with the skills and confidence to navigate the global academic landscape and help them develop a deeper understanding of cross-cultural communication and leadership.
This initiative also promises to strengthen ties between students in Jordan and Temple University, creating a new generation of leaders on both sides with a strong global perspective and a foundation for academic and career success. At the same time, JPOP is enriching educational stability for Jordanians and the U.S.-Jordan relationship. The current grant ends in July 2025 with the possibility of an extension for a new cohort in 2026.
By Andriana Acosta, marketing manager, Global Engagement
Photo above of Mohammad Wael Qabaa, JPOP Student, (right) with his friend Mohammad Issa Ishaq U’Wais (left), provided by Mohammad Qabaa