Spotlight on Success

The AbuLughod Family
A Family Tradition Campaign

The fourth family to be featured in our billboard campaign includes four members of the AbuLughod family, (l to R) Amirah, Hasan, Casem and Sarrah.

After being homeschooled through grade 12, the AbuLughod children, beginning with Casem in 2002 and soon followed by Sarrah, Hasan, and Amirah, enrolled at UW-Washington County – their first public school experience.  Unlike many students who are sometimes burned out with extracurricular activities by the time they reach college, the high-achieving AbuLughod siblings, definitely made the most of their college experience. They excelled academically, participated in student clubs and organizations, and all were employed in  student jobs in the IT department or library. As Hasan points out, his best memory is “knowing that my experience at UW-WC was what I made it to be.”

Casem’s “good memories” of UW-WC are many and include “working late into the night on editing the Ubiquitous (the campus student newspaper); playing tennis as a Wildcat; my first appearance on a stage as an actor; working backstage on shows; making lifelong friends through study sessions on campus; attending SGA (Student Government Association) gatherings across the state in efforts to better the educational system in Wisconsin; grabbing some fried cheese curds in the cafeteria and many more.” Casem completed his undergraduate studies at UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and a Master of Arts in Applied Theatre at City University of New York. He is currently working as an IS Technical Services professional at UW-Madison.

Sarrah also transferred to UW-Madison, where she completed a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. She is currently living in Washington D.C. and works as a Manager of Family Services at The D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation. Sarrah believes that “UW-WC's committed faculty and individualized education philosophy helped me hone my interests and realize where I wanted to go in life.” She also notes that she has “the fondest memories of developing genuine relationships with professors who cared not only about what I thought about the topic at hand, but also about my future and where those thoughts would take me forward.”

Hasan completed his associate degree in 2008 and is working towards a BS degree in Civil Engineering at UW-Milwaukee.  Currently employed as a co-op engineer at We Energies, Hasan believes the “small class sizes and availability of professors outside of the classroom were both noteworthy benefits.” Because of this, he was able to “take a wide variety of classes and most importantly have a feeling of academic satisfaction” as he moved on to UW-M. Hasan also enjoyed “being a part of the sports programs, whether it was intramural or intercollegiate” as well as the opportunity to serve on committees for two faculty searches.

Like her brother Hasan, Amirah is also a current student at UW-Milwaukee. She will graduate in May with a BA degree in Environmental Geography and a minor in Sociology. Amirah works two part-time jobs, one as an America Reads tutor at Elm Creative Arts School in Milwaukee and another as a barista at the Java House in Cedarburg. Amirah “still appreciates the sense of community and inclusiveness UW-WC has to offer through its faculty and staff.” She looks back “fondly on countless conversations with professors and staff.”  Having moved on to the larger campus at UW-Milwaukee, she will graduate in May with a BA degree in Environmental Geography and a minor in Sociology from UW-Milwaukee.  Amirah believes that the “small class sizes” along with the “communication and discussion it allows students to engage in with their professors is priceless. It is the thing I miss most about UW-WC,” she said. “Comfortable and welcome discussion with professors makes all the difference in the world for me - when it comes to learning.” Because of this, Amirah believes that “UW-WC offers an ideal learning experience.”

Sixteen-year old Zeki who also has been homeschooled his entire life, is looking forward to his future after high school and “following my siblings’ example.” Attending UW-WC “seems like a strong possibility” for him.  Zeki has a strong interest in working with young children, including those with special needs. In his spare time, he volunteers with the YMCA, Balance, Inc. and Special Olympics.

Other families featured:
Wilke Family
Butschlick Family
Martin Family
Scott Gross & Candace Brace Families
Straub Family
Deiss Family
Rudolf Family
Donley Family
Wiskirchen Family
Dobson Family
Nienow Family