Aida Al-Jahdhami is proud of her heritage.

As one of a growing number of Omani students on campus, Aida hopes to bring awareness of her country and culture to University of Michigan-Dearborn.

To do that, Aida founded and is the first president of the Omani Student Association.

Aida credits fellow Difference Maker Kris Bojornbak with helping her further her cause.

“He pushed me into starting an organization and helped me get through the many steps to achieve it—becoming a leader of an organization is not an easy task!” she said. 

It might not have been easy to start, but Aida and the Omani Student Association are flourishing now.

When the Omani ambassador to the U.S. visited campus, Aida helped develop activities for students to participate in. She’s also organized a campus-wide event to celebrate Omani National Day and given presentations in class about Omani culture and the Middle East. 

“She has not only been academically very successful, but has become a leader both on campus and off campus,” said Margaret Flannery, program intermediate manager in the Office of International Affairs.

Beyond her desire to connect UM-Dearborn with Oman, Aida also works to help Omani students feel welcome on campus.

She has held welcome events for new Omani students and has organized trips for all international students to show them different areas of the U.S.

For Aida, it’s all about connecting others with her culture. And, if you ask her, the work seems to be having an impact.

“My defining moment at UM-Dearborn was when people started to recognize and mention my country, Oman,” she said.