Trinity’s First Libyan Student Mo Ghanaem ’27 Shares His Journey

Maile Fowler ’27

Contributing Writer

The transition from high school to college is an intense yet exhilarating process for millions of American students. For international students, this adjustment is heightened by the cultural shift they experience. Abdulmohaymen (Mo) Ghanaem ’27, the first ever Libyan student to attend Trinity College, embraced this unique experience with excitement. 

Arriving at Trinity during its bicentennial year, Ghanaem was thrilled to enter a new landscape of culture and academics. He knew for a while that he wanted to pursue further education, and he wanted the flexibility that he was offered in the United States. 

“In general, as a student, I have a lot more freedom to do things here,” Ghanaem noted. “School is not my whole life.” 

Ghanaem remarked how in America, he could be a full-time student, have a job, travel and apply for internships all at once. While he is grateful for the education he received in Libya, he wanted to branch out of the public and private career sectors that limit job opportunities in his country. 

Ghanaem’s journey with the United States began in his senior year of high school with the Youth Exchange and Study Program. This institution, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, helped him spend a year in Iowa. There, he lived with a host family, participated in extracurriculars, gave presentations about Libya to his classmates, and even shared cultural foods. 

“It was a really interesting experience. I got to really immerse myself in the high school life of the U.S., and I got to share my culture too,” he shared. “And I really appreciated how everyone was interested. […] It was interesting [to bring] my culture here and see people interact with it.” When the program was through, he returned to Libya with the hope to come back to America soon. 

Over the following year, Ghanaem applied and was accepted to Trinity College. He recalled choosing the school because his interviewer had such a deep passion for Trinity that it inspired him to attend. After speaking with her and an engineering professor several times, he decided to apply early decision. 

“It was around 2:30 a.m. When I opened my decision, and when I saw that I was accepted — I was fully convinced I was not going to be accepted — and when I saw that I was accepted, I was literally screaming. I woke up my parents to tell them, and we went out and celebrated the next day.” 

Everything after that moment was about preparing to move to the United States. When he arrived at Trinity, Ghanaem was surprised to learn that he was the very first student from Libya. This served as motivation for him to serve as an example for other Libyan students that may feel like American education is out of reach. 

Now, in his second year, Ghanaem works as a student recruitment officer, “getting to do what the interviewer did for [him].” He is very grateful to have grown up in his country where family relationships are strong and there is ambition to reach for the stars. 

“I have my dad in the back of my head giving me advice,” he said. “I carry a piece of my country everywhere I go, in spirit, and I look forward to leaving my mark here in Trinity to the point where other Libyan students can also come here and leave their mark. That’s the goal.” 

Ghanaem has been able to find a great community with other international students. He is grateful for international student officers Katharine Clair and Maria Dyane, and everyone who’s made the experience incredible. Even if he is an ocean away from Libya, Ghanaem shared that, “it doesn’t feel like I’m too far from home.”