UF Stories
The good reputation of The University of Findlay’s Nuclear Medicine Institute drew Ali Al-Hashem to choose UF as his place of study.
Al-Hashem, a native of Al-Adan, Kuwait, said that the Kuwaiti Embassy recommended the NMI, and the smaller size and atmosphere of UF helped convince him it was the right place for him. “I thought that since I will be living on my own, and without my family which I was accustomed to, I thought a smaller-sized university may be more beneficial to me. A quick tour around campus gave me the acknowledgment that this is the exact university I had in mind, and more,” he explained.
His classroom experiences only strengthened that conviction.
“I feel like choosing Findlay to help in my journey to achieve my educational goals was one of the best decisions I have made in my life,” Al-Hashem said. “I feel that mostly all professors that taught me had personally encouraged me to reach my full potential in my studies, and with their help, reaching my full potential became a possibility.”
In addition to his studies, he enjoyed the activities on campus as well as personal interaction with his professors.
“International nights were particularly amusing since students from different cultures got together, and I made numerous new friends in events like these. I enjoyed sporting events that I participated in every weekend with the students from Saudi Students Union in Findlay (SSUF), which was a good stress reliever at times when homesickness or being overworked affected me,” he said. “But honestly, my favorite group of memories I had are of being able to sit and talk with one of my present or past professors, whether it be for leisure or for advice, without any problems, and I was always welcomed not only as one of their students, but as a friend.”
While he praised all of the NMI faculty as excellent educators and appreciated the mentoring he received from many of them, Al-Hashem said he was especially touched by their help when he was in an accident in which a speeding driver totaled his car. “Though there was a lot of bad that came out of the situation, I saw the very good sides of many of my professors with their concern towards me, and their help with advice towards what I should do,” he said.
He also credited Jody Noble, his instructor in his Introduction to Business class, with helping him to develop leadership skills. “I was petrified of her class, and was on the verge of dropping it, but had convinced myself that I needed the challenges of the class, which definitely was one of the better decisions I had made throughout attending UF,” he recalled.
“I thought the class seemed to require much work coming from a freshman-level class … but challenges such as presenting projects to the Dean of Business, and evaluating local businesses and talking to them personally, helped myself as well as many other students to persevere in [overcoming] our weaknesses.”
As he prepared to move on, he had assistance in finding a good clinical placement in the University of Michigan Health System. “The faculty at NMI had definitely been more than helpful in helping choose and be placed in my current clinical site,” he said. “They have all been great in educating not just me, but all the students in the nuclear medicine program with on-the-job experiences, and instructed us with many handy tips as to how to deal with certain situations.”
While completing his clinical practice, he is residing in his grandparents’ house in Lathrup Village, Mich., with his older brother, who is attending Wayne State University. After graduation, he plans to work a few years in nuclear medicine in Kuwait, and continue his education in the medical field, adding with a smile that he plans to visit friends and family in the U.S. after graduating, “especially the ones in Findlay.”
Al-Hashem said he would recommend Findlay highly to others. “I would definitely make Findlay one of my top recommendations for students looking to attend university, especially international students, and especially if they are looking to pursue a degree in nuclear medicine technology, physical therapy, physician assistant, pre-vet or many other reputable fields of study offered by UF. I think that especially with the smaller size of Findlay, international students would have greater ease accommodating themselves to living in a different country.” He advised new students to be organized. “Self-organization helps out a great deal when it comes to studying, writing papers or doing homework. The more organized a student is, the less likely they are to pass their due dates, and less likely to cram information in the night before the test — which usually does not turn out very good,” he said. “But the biggest piece of advice I can offer is that no matter what, always keep your goals clear and set, and work towards them, not letting anyone discourage you from them, and keep in mind that nothing is impossible.”
