By Jacob Kamaras
Maysam Kayal, an Arab student from the village of Judeida-Makr, reflects that members of the Arab community come into the world of higher education with a notably different cultural and educational background than their Jewish peers in Israel.
Jewish students in Israel complete mandatory military service and gain life skills through travel and other experiences prior to arriving on campus at some point in their 20s, which typically makes them more prepared for college than Arab students, who usually enroll at age 18 or 19.
Kayal, 19, also explains that Arab students often lack access to guidance from their community about career paths, awareness of certain academic disciplines, and adequate financial resources.
“In the Arab community, we don’t speak Hebrew in school. We don’t know how to speak with confidence,” Kayal says. “Since we don’t learn about all the subjects that are offered in college, we usually follow our parents’ desire for what to study. We also don’t have people to talk to if we are in a difficult situation, like facing racism.”
Kayal, however, is seeking to buck the trend — and she is off to a strong start thanks to her current participation in Tanmiya (which means growth and development in Arabic), a University of Haifa preparatory program that bridges cultural and educational gaps by giving Arab youth a much-needed leg up before they kick off their studies at the University in the fall semester.
Tanmiya’s intensive curriculum places an emphasis on Hebrew and English language as well as soft skills, equipping students with the tools to fully integrate into mainstream Israeli society. The program was established by University of Haifa’s Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community, and demonstrates why the school is the ultimate destination for students and faculty who truly believe in social responsibility and shared society. A cohort of 60 first-generation students who live in remote areas of Israel are taking part in the intensive, three-month-long Tanmiya program.
Kayal is continuing to master the Hebrew language as she determines the academic track that she would like to pursue at University of Haifa. Her existing interests include high-tech, computer science, and neuroscience.
“The subjects that I want to learn in university, nobody talks about them in high school back home,” she says.
She is also getting more comfortable with making her own schedule, managing her time, and living apart from her parents. Moving away from home, she notes, is something that “not all parents let their kids do in Arab society. We need to actively choose it.”
At University of Haifa, Kayal finds herself on Israel’s most diverse campus, as the school welcomes more immigrants and first-generation college students than any other Israeli university, and its student body has the country’s highest proportion of Arab students.
As she embarks upon her higher education journey, Kayal is grateful that the Tanmiya program is preparing her for this moment.
“Tanmiya has allowed me to speak and act with confidence,” she says.