Trending
ELKINS -- In an effort to boost international education, the Kump Education Center will be hosting a lecturer from Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, July 25.
"I think West Virginians really need to be more acquainted with the rest of the world," said Heather Biola, director of the Kump Education Center. "We kind of get insulated here. I think we need to know about other countries and bring in more people from other countries."
During the event, Nasra Adan will give a presentation titled "Saudi Arabia, Not Just a Desert Country." Nasar lives in Saudi Arabia with her two children and husband Jacob Zuboy, who is a former resident of Elkins. The family, however, spends their summer months in Elkins, where Zuboy's relatives still reside.
"Nasra has lived in Saudi Arabia with her husband and children for five or six years," said Biola. "They both teach English and during her presentation she is going to talk about the beauty of Saudi Arabia. There's a large part of that country that is desert, but there are many parts that are lush and beautiful, and that's what she wants to talk about. I'm sure she will also talk about her life there, but it won't be politically charged at all."
Biola said she met Adan while taking a class at the Elkins-Randolph County YMCA.
"Nasra has been in my water aerobics class at the YMCA for about six years now during the summer," said Biola. "She has taken what she has learned and taught people how to do it in Saudi Arabia.
"Her oldest son also attends the YMCA Day Camp and he really loves it. So much so that when the family was on a trip to Italy, he told his parents he just wanted to go to Elkins and the YMCA."
Adan has traveled extensively worldwide, having lived in her home country Canada, as well as China, India, Korea, Japan, Kenya and currently Saudi Arabia. She can speak seven languages beside her native English, including Chinese, Korean, Somali, Arabic, French, Swahili and Spanish.
Her language arts specialization has resulted in a career of teaching essay writing at the college level, and she has taught reading, listening and speaking as a second language.
"What Adan does is much like Mary Gamble Kump; she taught in military schools, so she'd only be in Elkins during the summer as well," said Biola. "She did that for most of her adult life."
In 2008, the Kump family home and an endowed trust were gifted to the City of Elkins by the will of Mary Gamble Kump, daughter of H.G. Kump, 19th governor of the State of West Virginia.
The Kump Education Center, Inc. was organized in 2010 to fulfill the further declared wishes of Kump that the property be used for preservation and educational purposes.
Adan's lecture, which is scheduled for 7 p.m., will feature a power-point presentation, along with Saudi treats and coffee afterward.
"Adan is going to do some treats so people can try some of the things they have in Saudi Arabia," said Biola.
For more information, visit kumpeducationcenter.com or the Kump Education Center Facebook page.