George Meghabghab, computer science professor at Roane State Community College was born in Lebanon and lived in France and Georgia before coming to teach at Roane State Community College.
“I rode on many people’s waves. Many people opened the door for me, and many people wanted to shut the door. Sometimes I say whatever happened happened,” he told a crowd at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge branch campus as part of a lecture he gave about his life.
“I’m a believer. Allow me to say that. I hope you don’t feel offended that I’m sharing my faith. So, I believe the voice that spoke to me was God’s voice in my life,” he said.
Meghabghab said he was raised Roman Catholic but was “born again” and currently attends Knoxville Praise Tabernacle Church. During his talk he credited a “voice” with leading to specific career decisions.
“I pray, whatever I said, you will find God’s voice in your life,” he told the audience.
Roane State officials are planning talks by other faculty members who immigrated or spent significant time outside the United States, according to C. Casey Cobb, the college’s director of international education.
In response to a question from the audience, Meghabghab said he did have trouble, as someone from the Middle East, after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. He said a man at a conference did not want to sit next to him because Middle Easterners had attacked the United States.
His talk focused not just on being an immigrant to the United States, but…
