Collegiate Times

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For Adnan Barqawi, the greatest honor of this year wasn't his Student Leader of the Year Award, although his friends note that this was well earned.

 "In all the years I've been involved as an alumnus, I've never met a man who better embodied the university motto," said friend, mentor and 1971 engineering graduate Pat Artis.

At the top of Barqawi's semester was his swearing in as a United States citizen on April 17 in Roanoke.

"I've been a man without a country, the worst of the worst," Barqawi, of Palestinian origin but who grew up in Kuwait, said. "I look at my time here at Tech and in America as a series of waves; when you're at the bottom, it looks impossible and you can't see past that obstacle."

Barqawi, who previously held the highest student position in the Corps as a Regimental Commander, began the process for American citizenship in May of 2008.

"There are tremendous waits (for citizenship) because of all the people applying," Barqawi said. "I was completely understanding of that but there was a part of me that was disappointed because I wanted to be sworn in while in uniform, before I graduated."

Barqawi's friends thought it was unfair that a man who had so dedicated his life to others' service shouldn't receive some kind of special consideration.

One of those friends is Wayne Campbell, president of the Virginia Tech German Club Alumni Foundation and a local Republican donor.

"Wayne Campbell says to me, 'There's this great friend of mine, Don Huffman, Don was the chairman of the Virginia Republican party,'" Barqawi said. "So he took me up to (his) house and Don - after our first conversation - says, 'Adnan, I want to make you a man with a country, you deserve to be an American citizen.'"

Barqawi said Huffman then contacted his friend and former law partner, Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

Goodlatte, a former immigration lawyer, helped Barqawi expedite the citizenship process.

"After one call from Congressman Goodlatte's office, an 18-month process became an 8-month process - (Huffman) really was a man of his word," Barqawi said.

At Barqawi's swearing-in ceremony in Roanoke, Goodlatte wore an orange and maroon striped tie.

"Adnan, I'm wearing this in your honor," Goodlatte said.

"It was one of the most defining moments I've ever had in my life," Barqawi said. "I think there's no greater feeling than having an allegiance and loyalty to a place, there's no greater feeling than being able to say you're an American."

Barqawi describes himself as an average student, though this isn't how his friends characterize him, stressing the outstanding out-of-class leadership he shows.

"Adnan has incredible demands on his time," Artis said. "He's spending 15 to 20 hours a week in meetings and other leadership functions; he is meeting individually with the newly turned freshman members of the Corps to help them make the transition and find out if they need anything."

Barqawi describes Pat and Nancy Artis as his friends and mentors.

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