A job fair for Saudis in the United States
Where do the biggest Saudi graduation ceremony and most extensive Saudi job fair take place? The choices are: 1-Jeddah. 2- Riyadh. 3- Dammam. 4- National Harbor, Maryland. If your answer is number 4, then you guessed it right. But, who goes to this very small place called National Harbor and that covers only an area of less than one square mile? It is one of the smallest states in America in terms of area and one of the least known to the outside world. Many people heard of Maryland because of the Naval Academy, Camp David, professional sports teams and the former American vice president Spiro Agnew.
However, For the past 40 years, tens of thousands of Saudis visit or study in the US and whereas California and Florida is the Saudi top choice, the state of Maryland is usually not on their list. But a few years ago, things have changed; now this state is becoming one of the well-known destinations to Saudis. Across the Kingdom, you will find Saudi families who can’t wait for the day when their son or daughter says “I will be in Maryland during the month of May.”
It is the place where thousands of students both male and female, attend their Saudi graduation ceremony held by the Saudi Cultural Mission in the United States. Indeed, the Mission and its staff have turned the graduation ceremony into a very successful job fair. Work on the event started months earlier, and this year we are looking forward to a bigger and more extensive event.
This year, about 8,000 students will graduate from the best American schools across the country. The ceremony is also attended by thousands of family members to see their loved ones receive their various graduate and postgraduate degrees.
The annual graduation ceremony will be held for all students from all over the US, fine products of the most extensive scholarship program in the world that of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, high profile Saudi and American officials are always present such as the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Khalid Al-Angari, Saudi Ambassador, H.E. Adel A- Jubair, the Saudi cultural mission Attaché, Mohammed Al-Eisa and many others.
This year’s graduation ceremony will be held form May 24-27. It has become so huge, that it is turning into a regular Saudi annual social event. It will include a graduation parade for all the young men and women as well as a job fair that will be sponsored by about 70 different organizations; Including, various Saudi universities, financial institutes, and many other private companies and government departments. In fact, more companies that didn’t have the time to participate will send some of their people just to see the registration and hiring process. Many Saudi companies would like to attract the top graduates with the most needed majors for the Saudi job market, and the event is becoming an eye opener for them. Last week, a Saudi Company, “Saud Consult” who saw my article last year about the Scholarship Program, sent me brochures and leaflets about their company to be distributed to the graduates, if and when I am in the Washington area during that time. I sincerely hope I will, because it is a wonderful and proud time for our Saudi youth.
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