Transcript of Reshad Sabed '08

(Title: Reshad Sabed '08, Economics Major, Political Economy Concentrator)

Well, I was born in Bangladesh and my entire family emigrated to Singapore when I was nine, and that's was where I spent my formative years, really. Singapore in many ways is a microcosm of New York, so there are people from many different nationalities, many different backgrounds, many different cultures and religions. I have always been in a very diverse, multinational setting. Believe it or not, I was actually a firefighter in the Singapore Civil Defense Force for 2 1/2 years. I was a section commander for firefighters, which meant that during fire operations not only would I be involved in the operational matters but also be giving instructions to firefighters.

I think one of the most important things I learned was discipline. I think it's something that will stay with me the rest of my life.

Right after I finished high school, my parents, in particular my mom, really exhorted me to go abroad and study. But I think it was during my email correspondence and phone conversations with faculty members from these various schools that really helped me make up my mind about Carleton. In particular, the director of international students at Carleton, Petra Crosby, made a real impression on me.

I think I'll never ever forget my international student orientation week at Carleton, which really was my first introduction to the school. Again, Mrs. Petra Crosby did a terrific job of welcoming us and assimilating us to the wider school community. The international studend body in some ways has always been sort of a support mechanism for a lot of people. And I remember my first week on campus, it seemed like I had more friends than some of my American friends, simply because I had this international student community to fall back on.

I've never really thought of my friends' circle as partly international, partly American. It's always been a mishmash of the two. Very often we have really intense discussions about culture, about values, certainly about religion because we all have very different religious backgrounds. Really, sometimes when we ask difficult questions to one another, it really forces you to think about where you...or how you formulated those answers in the first place.

I think about all the people that I've forged strong friendships with and with whom I've built a relationship where, to be honest with you, I don't think of them as friends anymore, they're more like brothers now, really. I know them not just on a personal level but I feel like I know them like the back of my palm.

This winter I'm going back home to Singapore and I'm really excited about it. I think every time I go back home, if there's one complaint that's always been directed at me, it's that my accent has really intensified. That I tend to use certain words I never would have used before and that I've developed a strange preference for Diet Coke.

When you make a gift to Carleton, you have to remember that having an international presence on campus is absolutely vital. A lot of people say that cultural competence will be the currency of the twenty-first century. And I strongly believe, I sincerely believe, that having international students on campus will cultivate some of that cultural competence which will serve as a vital skill set for many of us in life after Carleton.

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