Joelle Akiki Barkanian, originally from Lebanon, joined Southern Adventist University’s School of Business and Management as an associate professor this semester.
Originally from Lebanon, Barkanian grew up in the Beqaa Valley as a Maronite Catholic. While attending a Catholic school, she learned about Middle East University, an Adventist institution in Beirut, Lebanon, and decided to attend. It was there that she met her husband, Larry. In 2010, after Bible studies, Barkanian converted to Adventism.
“I struggled a lot until my father one day told me, ‘I need you to come with me to church,’” she said,describing her family’s reaction to her conversion.
Barkanian explained that there are few Old Testament Bibles in Lebanon, and her father wanted to ask the priest for one to check what the fourth commandment says about the Sabbath.
“The priest didn’t like it at all,” she said. “[He told my father,] ‘Well, we can’t give you the Old Testament. The Old Testament only belongs to the church, and we can’t give it to you. And I hope it was [your daughter’s] neck and not her hand that’s broken.’”
At the time, Barkanian had broken her hand from walking her dog.
“It was a shock to my father;he wanted to beat him up right there and then,” said Barkanian “But then he started realizing there was something wrong. So, on our way out, we met another priest, and he told him the same story. However, [this priest] said, ‘If she found herself in this church, you do not need to stop her. You need to let her go because [Adventists] are very good people. They pray a lot.’
“That was it,” she added “ … Ever since, we didn’t have a problem, but they didn’t want to attend my baptism.”
Barkanian holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in finance from Middle East University. Before working at Southern, she taught at Middle East University and worked on attaining her Doctorate of Business Administration from Beirut Arab University. This October, she will defend her doctoral dissertation.
On Aug. 4, 2019, Barkanian’s home was destroyed by the massive blast in Beirut, Lebanon. During the experience, her then 7-year-old son was standing near a glass door.
“Everything — the glass and the curtains — fell on him. But he wasn’t even scratched,” she said. “But [based on] what I saw in front of me, I didn’t expect him to survive that day.”
That experience, along with fluctuating prices and inflation, made Barkanian want to find something better for her family.
“That day I said, ‘This is it. We need to find another place to go. The family has to live elsewhere. It is not the right place for kids to grow,’” she said.
Two years later, in May of this year, a friend told her of a job opening at Southern. She applied and sent her Curriculum Vitae (CV).
“I thought, ‘That’s just it. I’m just sending my CV,’” she said “But then, two hours later, I received an email back asking me for an interview,. … In a couple of weeks, I submitted my papers to a lawyer, and we were right on track to start the journey. However, we had lots of complications with the visa.”
Barkanian’s visa was approved on July 24. The family had six days to pack. On Aug. 1, they arrived in the area in the middle of the night, and on Aug. 2, Barkanian started her new job at Southern.
Barkanian teaches Principles of macroeconomics and Portfolio Management. She and her husband, Larry, have three kids: 9-year-old James, 6-year-old Peter and 4-year-old Katelyn.
Preston Waters, sophomore marketing major, takes macroeconomics from Barkanian.
“She’s so nice. She’s very much from the book,” said Waters. “ … She has no grader. She has over 100 people in Macroeconomics, and to grade that many papers by herself and have a family of kids that literally just moved here Aug. 1, she’s doing an incredible job.”
Marlyn Antwan, senior political science major, also takes Barkanian’s macroeconomics class.
“Professor Akiki is a great professor, and she shows how much she cares about her students’ success,” Atwan said, describing her experience in the class. “She makes macroeconomics both interesting and engaging by relating difficult concepts to everyday life. I have found her class to be enjoyable and have learned a lot.”
