Eric Fischer, MA ’10, prepares for a second day of running during four-day ultra marathon in Morocco earlier this year.
Eric Fischer, MA ’10, recently completed
a 54-mile ultra marathon in Ifrane, Morocco, raising more than $2,000 for the
nonprofit America’s Unofficial Ambassadors (AUA).
Fischer slept in tents near Moroccan
towns each night during the four-day race. In Morocco researching the economic
impact of U.S. aid there, Fischer spent time getting to know his running
companions, enjoyed live musical performances, and swam in rivers along the
route.
“It turned out to be the best experience
that I have had in Morocco and one of the best experiences in my life,” said
Fischer, who is pursuing a doctorate in international economics at the
University of California, Santa Cruz, while studying Arabic in Rabat, Morocco
through a Boren Graduate Fellowship that he received while at USF.
Fischer, an experienced marathon runner,
raised money to support AUA, which seeks
to involve American citizens in diplomatic partnerships between the U.S. and
Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
“My goal is to combine my background in
economics and my Arabic language skills to contribute to better economic
relationships between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa,”
Fischer said.
