Advertisement
Canada markets open in 3 hours 43 minutes
  • S&P/TSX

    22,107.08
    +194.56 (+0.89%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,248.49
    +44.91 (+0.86%)
     
  • DOW

    39,760.08
    +477.75 (+1.22%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7347
    -0.0025 (-0.34%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    81.70
    +0.35 (+0.43%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    96,201.76
    +1,099.34 (+1.16%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,216.20
    +3.50 (+0.16%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,114.35
    +44.19 (+2.13%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.1960
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • NASDAQ futures

    18,468.00
    -35.75 (-0.19%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    13.02
    +0.24 (+1.88%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,968.61
    +36.63 (+0.46%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6812
    +0.0007 (+0.10%)
     

3 Students Find Their Calling at Arab Region Universities

While Yemeni national Ahlam Mothanna was pursuing her master's in public health at American University of Beirut, she kept a notebook called "Ideas for Yemen" close to her. She filled the notebook with ideas she captured from university lectures, seminars, conferences and workshops. Having left her country after the youth revolution in 2011, she says she never swayed from her plan and was "always enthusiastic to go back and work in Yemen."

Mothanna is among the many Arab international students who chose nearby Arab region universities to study and develop their career objectives, sometimes leading the students to previously unexplored and promising career paths. She graduated from AUB with her master's in 2014.

"The M.P.H. degree has enlightened my thinking, making me recognize problems, think of solutions and the power to produce change irrespective of the number of challenges," says Mothanna, who has a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Taiz University in Yemen and previously worked in dermatology. "I learned from this program how to open my eyes and ears to communities whose needs are really overlooked in Yemen due to political conflicts."

[Learn how public health degrees can open doors for Arab region students.]

Mothanna now works in Yemen as a public health promotion supervisor for Oxfam GB, a global humanitarian organization. She helps internally displaced communities as well as communities affected by the ongoing conflict in Taiz province.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We work in providing humanitarian assistance linked to the WASH program, where we work to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services to affected communities. From my post, I can help thousands of people and families," says Mothanna.

Sometimes a student's academic journey can take them to places they never imagined. Jordanian national Dana Qarout says her original plan to study in the U.S. as a then 17-year-old didn't sit well with her parents. But Qarout had alternatives with branch campuses in the Arab region.

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar turned out to be a good choice for Qarout, who graduated with a bachelor's in culture and politics in 2015.

"Georgetown University has a very good reputation, and the fact that it opened a branch campus in Qatar, so close to home, made it much more marketable to my parents," says Qarout. "Georgetown's curriculum was so much more appealing to me, and the diversity made Qatar a more adventurous option for me."

[Find out the factors to consider when choosing a university in the Arab region.]

Qarout now works as a research and program development coordinator for the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, a nonprofit organization in Amman, Jordan, that focuses on education research and policies.

Although she had already been accepted to the London School of Economics for graduate studies, she says this job opportunity in education policy was one she could not pass up. In her position, she focuses on teacher development and recognition and is responsible for several studies related to teacher education reform.

Part of Qarout's job is working closely with politicians, something she says her studies at Georgetown prepared her well for. She says she understands the way politicians typically conduct themselves; without that knowledge, she would have "easily been swept along with the wave of manipulation and popular propaganda that aims to keep citizens disempowered and civil society more inactive."

Studying abroad in the Arab region can benefit students in many ways. Hala Dimechkie, director at the Office of International Programs at American University of Beirut, says studying abroad is "an excellent opportunity for students to expand their horizons, create a new network of friends and peers, and learn different perspectives."

That was the experience for Palestinian Yasser Khaldi while a student at American University in Cairo. Khaldi graduated in early June with a Bachelor of Science in construction engineering with a concentration in construction management and technology. He says he chose the school for its "world-class teaching" and preparation of students for the global workforce.

"This degree allowed me to integrate various designs, economic and management aspects of engineering to plan for construction operations, to communicate effectively, to work independently and in teams," says Khaldi. During his program, he was exposed to various fields like urban planning, architecture, writing, photography and graphic design, among others.

[Read about how industry demands in the Arab region are encouraging engineering students.]

Khaldi did not wait until after graduation, though, to start his career. He authored photographic books about three cities that highlight and document the lives of everyday Palestinians, their culture and historical sites. His books were exhibited in Paris at the 2014 UNESCO International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and at the 2015 Cairo International Book Fair. He also designed the architectural features of the King Abdullah II Square, a major square located by the cultural palace in his hometown of Ramallah, Palestine.

"Without AUC academic facilities and online resources, I wouldn't have done this," says Khaldi.

He says AUC courses and free membership to sites like Lynda.com gave him access to software that allowed him to create engineering and 3-D projects. These resources helped him design the square and other projects.

"Studying abroad stimulates ideas that could not be generated when studying in your home country," says Khaldi.

Khaldi, who attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design summer program in 2015, plans to pursue his master's in urban strategies and design in the United Kingdom. Ultimately, he plans to use all of his knowledge, skills and experience in his Palestinian homeland.

He says he wants to build a "new sustainable Palestinian urban core" by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds -- from engineers to economists to anthropologists -- to work on projects that enhance the surrounding environment. He says urban planning uses powerful tools to solve problems.

"Causing an impact is constantly occupying my mind," says Khaldi.

See the complete rankings of the Best Arab Region Universities.

Anayat Durrani is a Los Angeles-based freelance education reporter for U.S. News, covering Arab region universities.