Hibatalla Fadul

Khartoum, Sudan
Public Health major

Tell us why you chose Purdue University for your undergraduate education.

I have a cousin who graduated from Purdue’s School of Electric Engineering. When I visited my cousin at Purdue, I fell in love with the campus. I was also fascinated by Purdue’s history. It was during that visit that I decided I wanted to be a Boilermaker! 

How would you describe the faculty and staff in the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS)?

The faculty and staff I have encountered are experienced, caring and helpful. They also are a good source of information, inspiration and advice.

What advice would you give international students who are about to start their first year at Purdue?

My advice is to not be afraid to ask for help because this is how you learn. Do not isolate yourself. Get involved with the Purdue community.

Take advantage of resources available to you both on and off campus. Use the Online Writing Lab (OWL), the libraries, the Center of Career Opportunities (CCO). Go to Purdue basketball and football games, attend Purdue convocations, and have fun!

To be a successful student, you need to learn how to manage your time and how to multitask. You need to learn how to balance different activities like socializing, exercising, going to movies, but also stay focused on your academics. 

We all go through hard times as students. We might feel stress from a class load, exams, or feeling homesick. When this happens, do not hesitate to talk about it with your friends or with a counselor at CAPS (Counseling and Physiological Services) at Purdue.

What is your favorite thing about Purdue?

My favorite thing about Purdue is the simplicity and convenience of campus. The way the campus is set up makes it easy to get around. It feels like a home away from home. Also, I like the challenging curriculum which motivates you as well as stimulates your brain and prepares you for the real world. 

Tell us about some of your activities at Purdue.

I did an internship related to my Public Health major. I had the opportunity to work in the Hypertension Program offered by the A.H. Ismail Center for Health, Exercise and Nutrition. This program includes faculty and students majoring in different disciplines (Pharmacy, Nutrition, Applied Exercise and Health, and Public Health). The students work together to help Ismail Center clients with hypertension learn how to live a healthy lifestyle by maintaining their blood pressure through diet and exercise. The Hypertension Program exposed me to the clinical part of my major; the internship experience overall advanced my interpersonal communication skills, time-management skills, and professional skills.

I also participated in Purdue’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program known as LSAMP. This is a research program that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to explore research areas and exposes them to a variety of career paths. Through LSAMP, I was able to be a research assistance for three semesters. My area of research was breast cancer, and my research project involved working on different chemotherapeutic drugs to measure their cytotoxicity on breast cancer.