Abeir El Arqusosi

I'm Manager, Government Relations and Executive Assistant to the Vice-President (Research and External Partnerships). I joined the University in 2008 and have since enjoyed being part of this dynamic community. I live in Cambridge, Ontario, with my husband of 28 years, Mostafa. He's my rock, my soulmate and my best friend. We have two amazing children, Tarek, 26, and Yosra, 22. Our time together as a family is something that we value immensely and look forward to. I enjoy reading and exploring new things, whether food, places, ideas or experiences. Throughout my life I've experienced living in different cities and have found that I prefer coastal cities the most because of the fresh crisp air that distinguishes them from non-coastal cities. I also happen to love fresh seafood, swimming, taking long walks on the beach, watching sunsets, and listening to the sound of waves crashing in.

My L4C destination is Phan Thiet, a coastal city with a sizable fishing community in southeastern Vietnam. It's the capital of Binh Thuan Province and is known for its fish sauce. My mandate is with Binh Thuan Community College (BTCC) as a Partnership Development Advisor. Established in 2008, BTCC is a fairly new college that's seeking to attain university status by 2020. My role entails working closely with the Scientific Research and International Relations Department staff to develop a strategic partnership development plan. I'm looking forward to my L4C experience; I perceive it as a unique opportunity not only to extend a helping hand to the community I'll be working with, but also to explore a different culture and environment that I predict will be quite different from our North American culture.