Finding forever friends at CCU
Making friends in a new place can be extremely stressful. One visiting Fulbright Scholar had a happy surprise when she arrived at Coastal Carolina University.
When Zitouni Mimouna walked into Brittain Hall on her first day at CCU this past fall, an excited Suheir Daoud, who had been patiently waiting to meet her new colleague, greeted her in the elevator.
“They told me there was a new professor coming from Algeria who had not been to Coastal before, and I knew I had to meet her as soon as I could,” said Daoud.
The two hit it off right away and have been inseparable ever since. They spend each day teaching one another new skills or sharing information about their cultures. Typically, they switch off cooking meals and enjoying food from each culture.
Dauod is originally from Galilee, Israel. A Palestinian Christian, she lived in a small Christian village in Israel for most of her early life. She attended Hebrew College of Jerusalem, where she earned her Ph.D. in political science. From 1996 to 2003, she worked as a political adviser and assistant to a member of the Palestinian Knesset (parliament). She traveled around for a while and then decided to move to the United States. Daoud understood how hard it could be to be the new professor at a university and felt she could truly connect with Mimouna.
Before she came to Coastal in 2008, Daoud worked as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Following that, she received a fellowship to teach at Pomona College in California. After two years, she decided she wanted to live somewhere different that was still warm and had access to the beach.
“Weather is so important to me because I am not used to snow, even after living in D.C.,” Daoud said. She applied at CCU and was offered a position in the political science department. She now teaches comparative politics, international relations and international politics.
“I love my job and the people I work with,” she said. “The people here are so supportive, it is easy to feel comfortable in my department and all over the university.”
Mimouna nominated Daoud for Chauncey’s Champion after seeing how giving and selfless Daoud was to her when she first arrived at CCU. Daoud invited her to her house for meals and family events, threw a birthday celebration for her, and transported her back and forth to the gym, grocery store and anywhere else she needed to go. When Mimouna’s husband worked out of town, she would stay at Daoud’s house to spend time with her family so she would not have to be alone.
“Suheir is an example of someone who was not obliged or supposed to do what she has done for me, but did it out of her limitless generosity,” Mimouna said.
When she’s not at CCU, Daoud enjoys spending most of her time with her family, which now includes Mimouna. Her two sons keep her very busy. Her oldest, Zuha, attends the Scholars Academy at CCU, and his younger brother Maxim is about to celebrate his 6th birthday. Daoud and her husband Wadi met in Jerusalem and have been married for 20 years. He previously worked as head of the cultural department in the Ministry of Education in Israel before they moved to Conway and now works at the North Myrtle Beach post office. Each year, the entire family takes a trip to Israel to see the rest of Daoud’s family. She has three sisters who still live there.
Daoud is the ultimate social butterfly and loves throwing dinner parties at her house. She cooks for friends as much as she can and always hosts big Christmas and Easter dinners for anyone who needs a place to go.
“I do not have a big family, especially not here, so I love inviting my friends to share meals and holidays with us,” Daoud said. “Mimouna has become a sister to me and will be missed when she returns home in a few weeks.”
Chauncey’s Service Excellence Champions are University employees (faculty or staff) who perform service-oriented actions that go above and beyond their job duties and that meet at least one dimension of service quality. These employees are recognized for outstanding performance and embody the Feel the Teal initiative. To nominate someone for Chauncey’s Champion, visit coastal.edu/feeltheteal, fill out the form and submit it. Approved nominees will receive an exclusive Chauncey’s Champion pullover as well as consideration for additional recognition. View all the Chauncey’s Champions at coastal.edu/feeltheteal/champions/champs.php.
