Iowa is a second home for siblings Luma, Al Faisal and Abdallah Yasin, who came to the Midwest in 2016 from Jordan, a country just east of Israel, to attend college. Even when Al Faisal leaves for his hometown in Jordan, he misses the distinct feeling of comfort the University of Northern Iowa provides.

Al Faisal, Luma and Abdallah make up three-fourths of a set of quadruplets. The fourth Yasin quadruplet is a medical student in Jordan. They also have two younger siblings who might come to the United States for college as well.

That feeling of home is what initially drew the three siblings to Iowa in the first place.

All three had an interest in coming to the United States to study business. When looking at places to go, they used a chart outlining many of the universities in the Midwest. The region had garnered quite a reputation with the trio.

“We heard good things about the area, and that the people in the Midwest were lovely,” Al Faisal said. “Iowa stuck out during our filtration process because of living costs, employment opportunities, employers and community colleges.”

They visited the United States for the first time in March 2016 and attended community college for two years. They entered UNIBusiness as juniors and have thrived within the school’s curriculum and opportunities, despite some initial challenges. There were different cultures to contend with, and the siblings were acclimating to new customs and learning various English slang words. Since they were taught proper English by Jordan instructors, they weren’t accustomed to the local dialect.

The opportunities of being involved and building skills professionally at UNI really, really surprised me.

Luma Yasin

“We were pretty nervous [when we first came to UNI]. We didn’t know what to expect,” Abdullah said. “But the recruiters that we spoke to before coming to UNI told us that we would be in a pretty good space because we were excelling. … That proved to be true.”

All three siblings have been active in various student groups, including the UNI Muslim Student Association (Luma, Al Faisal and Abdallah), the Accounting Club (Al Faisal), Business Student Ambassadors (Luma and Al Faisal), Women in Business (Luma) and Finance Club (Abdallah). 

“The opportunities of being involved and building skills professionally at UNI really, really surprised me,” Luma said. “I love it. That encouraged us to choose UNI.”

The three plan to stay in the United States for at least the next decade after they graduate in spring 2020. Al Faisal is planning to pursue a master’s degree in accounting at UNIBusiness. Luma and Abdallah plan on pursuing master’s degrees in finance or entering the workforce.

They all have found the Midwest to be a delightful place to live, especially because of their memorable experiences at UNIBusiness. The siblings have found success and opportunities within the school that will help catapult them into their next challenge or career.

“At UNI, if you work hard, people here recognize you,” Abdallah said. “That’s the biggest thing that helps students be successful — it’s recognition and dedication when they have opportunities in front of them.”