Beginning Reactions

The voice that I will create will be named Noor, which means light and is a commonly used 

name on the Indian subcontinent. It represents the openness that I hope to achieve 

through this project by being able to empathize with another culture, religion, and 

gender. Her background story is Noor's to tell and she would explain to you that she is a 

Middle Eastern family woman who's child had recently entered college and she hopes to 

achieve a degree in education. She would have to balance school, having a husband and

being a devoted woman of the Islamic faith. The college would be like Bowling Green in 

hopes to capture the Mid-Western culture and the interactions that take place

between the adult learner, Muslims and the predominately white student body. 

Since I am involved in Bowling Green State University's CSP program, I hope to explore 

what it means to be a present day adult Muslim women functioning in a post-911 

collegiate environment. The bias and limited views of America seem to be at its most 

hostile when it comes to the Islamic faith and culture. I have been enrolled in religious 

classes, read, and gained knowledge that tell me otherwise, but the 

question of an educator is how one can become an advocate for diverse types of person.

 

The knowledge I currently know about my voice is taken from a religious studies 

course, an Asian art course, and reading a book about the hijab in an anthropology 

course. I understand the basic structure of the religion entails for a person of the Islamic 

faith having to pray towards Mecca five times a day, fasts during several events, and Allah 

is the name of God. In contrast to the Chirstian religion, Jesus is considered a prophet 

and Muhammad is a very important figure in the Islamic context. The Quran or Koran is 

ancient literature and includes information from the Christian Bible. The purpose in 

which the covering worn by women of Islam is changing and I hope to come in 

contact with individuals who wear traditional clothing.

The adult learner I believe would be apprehensive about a return to college and 

expectations may range from very high, in terms of practical knowledge, to very low, in 

terms of writing and studying skills. The adult learner may seem lost in a 

faster paced environment and examples from the lessons may be cultural items for which

she would not be familiar. Technology would be a problem for someone who's life has been 

devoted to raising a child. The assumption that I have is that the husband is the bread 

winner and her life has been relatively normal. With this being said, Noor would not have had

the need for email or researching. Her typing skills may be slow and she would be

unfamiliar with search engines, Podcasts, downloading PDF's or anything that a normal 

college-aged student would have common knowledge of through the

culture.  With networking being just the friends she has around her, this would too be an issue. 

With students using Facebook, Myspace and iChat to have virtual conversations that are 

fast and convenient, any adult would have trouble being able to stay up to speed with 

discussions. Furthermore, due to her commuting to campus, she might not have any 

established friends or support group in the beginning. An adult learner may feel a 

disconnect to the campus and have no obligation or interest to join any clubs or 

organizations even if they have a past expertise or interest.

 

The goal of an advocate was stated but I hope to focus my beginning research in finding 

out more about the religion and the impact on everyday life, the feelings of an adult 

learner and what programs are being offered in higher education. I look forward to this 

journey and hope that in the future weeks I can develop my voice to create change within 

myself and eventually the field of student affairs.