The interview was conducted by Toyin Olanipekun, a doctoral student in Second Language Acquisition and a project assistant at the Language Institute (March, 2025). The transcription below is abridged.
Rima: Hi! My name is Rima Hammo. I’m a first-year PhD student in the Second Language Acquisition program, and I’m currently teaching Beginner-level Arabic.
Toyin: How has been your experience so far in the SLA program?
Rima: So far, it has been great. Honestly, I am given so many opportunities to expand my social network, my ability to learn, and to learn about new things. I’ve been meeting amazing new people and making great new friends. And so far, it has been a great experience.
Toyin: How is life in Madison outside of your studies?
Rima: Life in Madison is also great. It’s such a beautiful, quaint small town, but despite the fact that it is small, there are many things to do. Some stuff that I love to do is walking, walking through parks. I like to go shopping, and there are a lot of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern supermarkets that let me buy ingredients and things that I need to make dishes that I would make at home. In a way, Madison is a piece of home.
Toyin: How do you balance your academic responsibilities with your personal life?
Rima: It was a bit of a learning curve. At first, when you start out in a new place, a new town and a new school, there are so many things you would like to do, and you realize that you have to set priorities. And that’s one thing I usually like to do. I usually make a list at the start of the week, and I put at the top of the list my priorities and the things that need my immediate attention. And as I go down that list, I would probably put off the things that don’t require as much attention but, I’ll eventually get to them.
Toyin: What is one thing you are open to sharing with us about yourself?
Rima: One thing that I am open to sharing is that I love my family. I love my friends. And they just mean so much to me. And I don’t think I will be where I am today without them, without their support, without their encouragement. Especially, my mom, my dad, my sisters, my brothers – they always believed in me. They always knew I could do it. And once I got married, which was just in August, my husband also believed in me, and he knew that I could do anything I set my mind to. I am always grateful for these people in my life.
Toyin: Do you want to talk about the photo you shared?
Rima: Sure, it’s something I always mention. I recently got married – in August. I got married in Chicago, in my brother’s backyard. Because we wanted something small, something very intimate, so it was just very close friends and family. And in the picture, you will see me, my mom and my sisters wearing the traditional Palestinian clothes called Thobes. They are usually hand-embroidered. And because they are hand-embroidered, it takes a very long time for them to be put together. And that made it even more special for me to bring my heritage and culture, and history to my wedding. It was just a beautiful day overall. I am very thankful for it.
Toyin: Thank you for sharing.
Rima: It’s my pleasure!
To learn about Rima’s research, see her profile.
Below is the video interview.