Mississippi State University graduate student Shereen Shawaqfeh died in a one-car accident near Carthage, Miss., Sept. 18.
Shawaqfeh was student in the engineering department seeking a Ph.D. in Applied Physics.
Wendy Mrayyah, a friend of Shawaqfeh, said Shawaqfeh was planning to return to her home country of Jordan upon graduation to teach physics.
“She lived and breathed physics, and she was very passionate about teaching,” she said. “And she loved her family overseas. She thought the world of them, so she wanted to go back to Jordan to spend time with them.”
Shawaqfeh was an active participant in the Mosque and was very religious. Mrayyah said she carried her Koran with her everywhere she went, and she studied the Koran daily.
“She thought everyone was beautiful,” Mrayyah said. “She had a very good heart, and she was always happy. I don’t think I ever saw her upset.”
Suha Gharraw, an MSU student who stayed with Shawaqfeh until she could find her own place, said she was always willing to help.
“When I came to the U.S., I did not have a place to stay, and the deadline for on-campus housing had already passed, and Shereen opened up her home to me,” she said. “She was so nice and showed me MSU and introduced me to everyone.”
Shawaqfeh loved to entertain and do things for other people, Gharraw said.
When Gharraw arrived in the U.S., her plane did not land in Columbus until after 9 p.m., but Shawaqfeh was there waiting for her, even though it was late.
“The first time I met her when she came to get me from the airport, I felt like I had known her for a very long time,” Gharraw said. “She was just so happy to be there.”
Gharraw only stayed with Shawaqfeh for about 10 days before finding her own place, but Gharraw and Shawaqfeh were planning to get an apartment together in January.
“The last night I stayed with Shereen at her home, she made me a wonderful dinner, just because she wanted to,” she said. “We were so excited to get to move into our new apartment, she was always buying new things for it.”
Carmen Reisener, a friend of Shawaqfeh, said she was always willing to help and would do anything asked of her.
“She helped out another exchange student, and she was so helpful and made sure she knew where to go and where her classes were,” Reisener said.
Shawaqfeh had been in the United States for only about a year before she died.
“She loved the U.S. and the people here because they treated her with respect,” Mrayyah said. “She adored her adviser and the people she went to school with. She felt very blessed.”
Mahnaz Wahidi, a friend of Shawaqfeh whom she met at the mosque in Starkville, said she was very determined and knew what she wanted.
“She was a very strong, independent young woman,” Wahidi said. “She really took care of her studies and was helpful to all the people around her.”
Shawaqfeh was very excited because she had just finished a research study with the physics department, and it was going to be published, Reisener said.
Gharraw said Shawaqfeh was very generous and put everyone before herself.
“If you told her you liked something, she would just give it to you,” she said. “She used to always be smiling.”
Shawaqfeh was excited when she received her driver’s license and was able to drive her car, Gharraw said.
“She was always excited to go anywhere with her car. She wanted to travel and go to new places and meet new people. She was always talking about going to different places and seeing new things,” Gharraw said. “She had big plans.”
Shawaqfeh was an angel, Gharraw said.
“I know she is in a better place,” Gharraw said.