Elvin, an earnest exchange student studying at Berea College, Kentucky is savoring his last days in the United States before he has to return home to Mingächevir, Azerbaijan. “Last two weeks in America!" he proclaimed on the IREX’s fanpage wall on Facebook. It has been a long journey for Elvin Garayev since setting sights on studying in the United States four years ago. Through hard work and determination, Elvin became a fellow on the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) [9] for the 2009-2010 academic year. UGRAD is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and implemented by IREX.
Most recently, Elvin won third place in IREX’s first photo contest on Facebook. As part of his prize, he received a flip cam which he has been using to capture the last days of his UGRAD experience. Leaving Kentucky will be bitter sweet for Elvin, but he looks forward to uniting with his friends and family in Azerbaijan and also applying what he’s learned from living in the United States. While at Berea, he served as a teacher’s assistant (TA), an accomplishment he is extremely proud of since TAs do not exist in his university back home which is why he plans to advocate for a TA system in Azerbaijani colleges upon his return. In addition, he mentored potential UGRAD finalists with their application process, something he plans to continue as well.
When asked what he will miss most about the United States, he enthusiastically said, “diversity--new food, new culture, amazing professors, my friends, the states I’ve visited…online shopping.” Elvin is studying English Education with a minor in German and will pursue a graduate degree after obtaining his bachelor’s. We here at IREX wish Elvin all the best with his academic goals and future adventures.
