Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 21, 2012 Page: 3 of 16
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Hefugto tllmmtu Press
Thursday, June 21,2012
Page 3A
UT coordinator visits Saudi Arabia
Estherline Moya Lepine, former RHS graduate, eager to return to KSA
By Kenda Nelson
Editor, County Press
AUSTIN — Forty-four
years ago, Estherline
Moya Lepine graduated
Refugio High School at
the top of her class. Much
like her successful years
as a student at RHS, the
1968 valedictorian contin-
ues to excel in her life’s
work.
“I like doing a good
job, having that feeling
of satisfaction, and even
though I’m pretty low key
about it, I’ve been noticed
along the way for doing
that good job,” Lepine
said. “I’m continually sur-
prised that people think
I’m good at what I do. I’m
lucky.”
Last month, in her
job as the Saudi Arabia
SABIC Foundation
Year Coordinator for
University of Texas
in Austin, Lepine was
invited to the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia for an
International Exhibition
and Conference of Higher
Education in Riyadh.
“This is the third year
they have done it, and
there were over 450 uni-
versities from around the
world that participated
in forums, workshops
and information booths,”
Lepine said.
In her job as coordina-
tor for pre-matriculated
engineering students,
Lepine was eager to learn
more about Saudi cus-
toms, culture and their
perceptions.
“One week is really a
short amount of time, so
I barely scratched the
surface,” she said. “I’d
go back in a heartbeat.
There are no tourist visas
to KSA but I’d go back in
a heartbeat. I’d love to
spend more time sight-
seeing and talking with
women. Maybe I’ll be able
to return next year to
attend that same confer-
ence.”
Lepine experienced
some surprises.
“No one walks, or at
least in Riyadh, no one
walks,” she said. “So, I’m
in this huge city... think
LA or New York... any big
city... and there’s no one
on the streets. It’s kind of
eerie, actually.”
Saudi hospitality was
no surprise, in fact,
Lepine says the hospital-
ity is legendary.
“Generous, gracious
and incredibly hospitable,
the Saudis are so wonder-
ful,” she said. “They are
able to make one feel as
if he or she is the most
important person in the
world. Plus the food was
amazing. Even the camel
dish I had was delightful.
Arabic coffee is perfect
and the sweets are out of
this world. I don’t think I
had one bad bite of food.”
Beeviller
Livestock
Commission
Sale: 11:00 a.m.
June 15, 2012
Volume 572
4 Horses 55 Sheep & Goats
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300-400 lbs............$162-172-210
.,400-500 lbs............$141-151-173;
500-600 lbs............$132-142-159
600-700 lbs............$118-128-140^
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HEIFERS: Steady/Active
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300-400 lbs............$145-155-181
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500-600 lbs............$129-139-151
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STOCKER COWS:........$60 89c
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^HORSES:......................$50-290C
iWe will be closed July 6th (
AHwy 59 East, Beeville, Texas 78102;b
Contributed photo
Estherline Moya Lepine talk with representatives from Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University. Estherline is
shown with her colleague Mike Smith.
The cultural differences
are enormous.
“The Arabic culture is
ancient and with that
comes a depth of culture
that is unfamiliar to most
Americans,” Lepine said.
“The seem serene and
comfortable with their
lifestyle.”
Lepine explained men
and women have very dif-
ferent roles and women
are treated differently.
Women used separate
lines to enter the con-
vention center as well as
order food at a restau-
rant.
Women had separate
seating areas inside the
convention center audi-
torium and even sepa-
rate sections inside the
same room to listen to the
workshop.
“I didn’t think that so
many women would be
veiled, but I would guess
that 98 percent of the
women I saw in Riyadh
were veiled,” Lepine said.
“One hundred percent
wear abayas and hijabs.”
“The Kingdom is a
homogenous culture and
a theocracy,” Lepine said.
“The U.S. is heteroge-
neous and a democracy,
or at least a democratic
republic. To say the con-
trast is noticeable is an
understatement.”
Lepine continues to
break new ground work-
ing with Saudi
students.
“One can-
not live in a
foreign coun-
try and not be
changed,” she
said. “One’s
world perspec-
tive is forever
altered, and
interestingly,
one learns
even more
about one’s
own culture
when one stud-
ies abroad.
By having the
Saudi Arabian
students
among us,
when they will
return to their
country and
discussions
occur about
America, they will know
first-hand what we are
like. We all hope that they
will take with them the
positive aspects that we
Americans have taught
them, and we hope that
they will look at their own
culture with new eyes.”
As her life experiences
expand, fond memories of
Refugio always return.
“Refugio High School
had really good teachers
for being such a small
school district way back
in the 60s,” she said.
“They encouraged me to
do my best and recognized
me for my accomplish-
ments. I liked that. Also,
my parents supported me
in every way possible. I
think that support and
their belief in my abil-
ity gave me the continued
desire to do well.”
Lepine graduated from
UT Austin where she
majored in English and
Spanish. She taught and
developed curriculum for
English and Spanish at
Crockett High School in
Austin for 12 years.
She taught English as
a Second Language at
Texas State University
for two years; was an
instructor and academ-
ic coordinator at the
Texas Intensive English
Program for 16 years;
and is currently coor-
dinator for UT Austin/
SABIC Foundation Year
Program, a joint collabo-
ration between UT and
SABIC which offers com-
petitive scholarships to
highly-qualified Saudi
Arabian students for
undergraduate studies.
She was named
TexTESOLer (Teachers
of English as a Second
Language) of the Year in
2003.
Lepine has been mar-
ried to Michael Lepine for
35 years and they have
two sons, both graduates
of UT Austin.
She is the daughter of
Eudelia Moya of Refugio
and the late Alfredo
Moya.
(Editor’s note: This is
the second in a series of
features on county gradu-
ates who have been rec-
ognized for their work,
their achievements and I
or their success. Kenda
Nelson may be contacted
at refugiocountypress@
mysoutex.com or 361 526-
2397)
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Nelson, Kenda. Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 21, 2012, newspaper, June 21, 2012; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740428/m1/3/?q=%22~1~1~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.