Lina Adjout’s upbringing and past are strong influences on what she wants her professional future to be. When Lina was five, her family moved from Algeria to Dover, N.H. on a diversity visa. “As an immigrant myself, I understand the difficulties of coming to a country where you do not know anyone and have no direction to follow. For many people, the decision to leave their families and homeland is a difficult one. I am truly passionate about aiding families, such as mine, starting off with new lives in the United States.”
Lina is building a professional résumé not only with her academic successes, but through many high impact experiences as well. In Spring 2020, Lina interned through the U.S. Department of State at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA. There she supported future foreign service officers during their seven weeks of formal orientation training before they branched off into various career paths and geographic areas. “It was nice to be so involved with these groups, yet sad when I had to leave them. I’m still connected with my class and continue to have meetings with them,” she said. Lina was able to integrate this experience into The Washington Center internship program which has a very active chapter based at UNH.
Prior to that, Lina participated in the Boston-based Semester in the City (SITC) at Project Citizenship where she worked with the program and legal team to serve permanent residents on their journey to citizenship, advising immigrants of citizenship eligibility, and directing them to resources and serving as an advocate. As a final project, Lina created a citizenship ambassador training program. In looking back at this high impact experience, Lina reflected that, "Being in Boston gave me the chance to be a part of something that was bigger than me and learn where my story fit into it all."
Even in her freshman year, Lina wanted to make the most of her UNH experience. She was a rare first-year student applicant for a highly competitive Critical Language Scholarship through the U.S. Department of State. She wanted to gain professional fluency in Modern Standard Arabic given her career aspirations. While unsuccessful in round one, she applied again as a sophomore and was selected as an alternate. Applying again as a junior she was selected, only to have her immersion experience cancelled due to the global pandemic. Director of National Fellowships Jeanne Sokolowski noted Lina’s determination and passion as she got to know her through her Critical Language Scholarship application — and the description she shares of Lina fits well the rest of the her UNH story: “At no time did Lina express frustration or discouragement. She just kept working, applying, and trying.”
Lina has served as a tour guide and diversity ambassador for UNH Admissions. And, while she is now a resident assistant in Randall Hall, Lina began her UNH career by commuting from home in Exeter, NH for two years due to family responsibilities and two younger siblings. She’s always worked part-time positions and eagerly sought scholarships to support her academic journey. She qualified for TRIO Student Support Services for low-income and first-generation college students, quickly bonding with her peers in the program and forming a tight support group that continues to this day. Lina shared that, "As a new student with an undeclared major I wasn't sure what I would go into, but my advisors and programs like TRIO and CONNECT gave me the right guidance I needed to find where I belonged." Lina also immersed in Model United Nations in her first year, which greatly influenced her decision to major in Political Science. She since added a second major in International Affairs and will be graduating magna cum laude in May 2021.
As she puts the wraps on her outstanding UNH career, Lina Adjout is driven by a desire to work in international development agencies and non-profit organizations alongside working to support immigrants and refugees. One can easily see her as a child of the world, feeling compelled to give back to others in a grand response to her own challenges and joys as an immigrant and American citizen.
