Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-01-01 / 1. szám
4 FRATERNITY G. T. N.: “EXPERIENCE OF BEING FREE” (This article is reprinted from “The Hungarian Student”, a magazine of the Union of Free Hungarian Students, edited in St. Gallen, Switzerland) HUNGARIAN STUDENTS IN AMERICA Two and a half thousand Hungarian students who fled from the Russian intervention following the Hungarian uprising in 1956 found homes in the United States and Canada. These students were received with great sympathy and understanding. Special scholarship programs and several grants have been created and a great many churches, universities and other institutions have helped make it possible for the refugees to go on with their studies and to find their way in a new society. Looking back now, at the beginning of the third full school year in Canada and the United States, we recall our immense initial difficulties, which existed in spite of the assistance and understanding given us, and then we point with satisfaction to our achievements. The greatest hindrance to overcome was the language problem. The great majority of us did not speak English at all. We also discovered that the educational system we were now part of is entirely different from that of Hungary. Our credits from home were sometimes impossible to evaluate. In addition, some of us had no records with us from our universities. Last but not least, too many of us were arriving in a short period of time. After two and a half years, we now have fellowships, doctorates, master’s degrees in law, history, theology, sociology, engineering, mathematics, agriculture, art, history and Arab languages. More than one hundred of us graduated last year, including one young doctor, one Harvard Law School student and one mathematician who now works in one of the most important research institutes but who was never granted admission to a university in Hungary. One of our fellow students is now Assistant Professor of Economics at Yale. In the sports field, a Hungarian student won the U. S. sailing championship in the small yacht class. The fields of our activities are diverse and give us a great variety of skills. Altogether, we can be satisfied. These girls and boys do credit both to the Hungarian student body and to the Americans and Canadians who helped them. During these busy years we also found the time and energy to create an organization which holds us together no matter where we are —■ in Montreal or Los Angeles; Hartford, Connecticut, or Wichita, Kansas. The Association of Hungarian Students in North America, Inc., is a non-political organization which assists its members with their academic, financial and professional problems. AHSNA helps students to find schools and scholarships, supplies them with information, provides relevant data to academic institutions and educational foundations, and represents Hungarian students in international student movements. In
