It has been almost a year and a half since Raed Ibraheim al Abbassee arrived at Bard College to begin his freshman year. A lot has happened. Raed survived the dual culture shock of a new country and language and first year in college with flying colors. His grades were all As and Bs, and he completed, as part of his coursework, a moving short film on the Iraq War. He spent the summer working in the lab of Dr. Tom Fasi, a researcher at Mount Sinai hospital. Raed gained valuable lab experience, a nice start to building his resume, and had an opportunity to get to know New York City.

This semester Raed took a very heavy course load -- all math and science. He will dial it back a little in the second semester with one literature course. (Maybe he will get a little more sleep). He continues to do very well.

For the midwinter break, students in the Iraqi Student Project have organized a reunion in New York City, with 20 of the 35 students in the program traveling to New York and bunking down in various borrowed apartments. We hope they have a great time in the city and can enjoy the opportunity to speak their native language together and to trade experiences about college life in the United States. In addition, Raed will be visiting his uncle who has been resettled in Worcester.

We were very fortunate this year financially. We received a $10,000 grant from the Bessie Foundation and Raed won a $5,000 scholarship from an organization called Rally for Iraq. We're very proud of him.

However, we still have to provide Raed with daily his living expenses and build up our funds to pay his room and board for two more years. If you can help support our project, please send a check to Iraqi Student Project Mid-Hudson, PO Box 326, Rhinebeck, NY 12572. Your contribution is fully tax-deductible. You will be helping a very deserving and promising young man, and, in a small way, healing the wounds of war.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year.