College in Oregon for Iraqi Refugees (AUDIO)

Their F1 visas means the students must return to Iraq when they finish their education.

Courtesy: iraqistudentproject.org

(EUGENE, Ore. ONS) - When the fall semester begins at the University of Oregon, students may be learning about the war in Iraq from young adults who have lived through it.

Some Iraqi refugees will be attending college in Eugene and at schools in more than a dozen other states, as part of the Iraqi Student Project.

Gabe Huck and Theresa Kubasak founded the nonprofit organization two years ago, after they retired and moved to Damascus to learn Arabic.

Kubasak says they felt compelled to do something when they found out that 1.5 million Iraqi refugees are living in Syria, and that many of the young people have no chance to either work or go to school.

"Around that time, we started to think, 'What can we do as American citizens - not to count on a government program, but to count on ourselves, as people who care about the world?' And we thought, 'Education's the key.'"

The students are allowed to enter the United States on an F1 visa, only after lengthy screenings by the Iraqi Student Project and the federal Homeland Security Department.

Kubasak says she and Huck meet all the students and their families in person and are very selective in their choices.

"We want to make sure that the students really succeed in college, but also, we promise to the college that the student they're sponsoring will be a success for them, and will be a shining star for them."

Their F1 visas means the students must return to Iraq when they finish their education. The University of Oregon is one of 30 colleges across the country participating in the program.

Information about the program can be found online at iraqistudentproject.org or at afsc.org.

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Special thanks to Oregon News Service
Produced and reported by Chris Thomas

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