Aziza Ellozy, Da7ee7 to Speak at June Commencement
Aziza Ellozy, professor of practice and associate provost for transformative learning and teaching at AUC, and Ahmed Eghandour ‘16, founder and host of the hit YouTube series Da7ee7, will be speakers at AUC’s commencement ceremonies this month. Ellozy will be speaking at the graduate ceremony on June 21, and Elghandour will be speaking at the undergraduate ceremony on June 22.
Aziza Ellozy ‘64, ‘67
A member of the community for more than 60 years who was founding director of AUC’s Center for Learning and Teaching, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, Ellozy is a champion of student-centered learning and an innovative leader in transforming education. Ellozy’s work as associate provost has kept AUC faculty at the cutting edge of teaching methodologies and technology.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellozy guided the community during the University’s shift to online teaching. She also led AUC’s Learning Spaces project, bringing to campus active learning classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art digital infrastructure.
Ellozy has an impressive history in improving education. As a tenured faculty member at Fordham University in New York she was selected by Project Kaleidoscopeto help reform U.S. undergraduate education in STEM fields. She has been an active member of this project since 1994, presenting her research across the world, including Morocco, Portugal, the West Bank, Denmark, South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Ecuador and Kyrgyzstan.
At AUC, Ellozy received the President’s Distinguished Service Award, School of Sciences and Engineering Award for Services to SSE Faculty, Excellence in Academic Service Award, Provost’s Award for exceptional leadership of CLT and President’s Catalyst for Change Award. She received her bachelor’s in chemistry and master’s in solid state science from AUC.
Ahmed Elghandour ‘16
Blending education and entertainment, Elghandour is the founder of the smash Youtube series Da7ee7, which currently boasts 1.77 million followers and over 44 million video views. As a creator who is passionate about performance and spreading knowledge, Elghandour explores an array of topics in a quippy and comedic style, from the science of general relativity to the history of the Berlin Wall.
Elghandour has been a performer and reader since childhood, recounting his favorite stories to his family during their road trips through Saudi Arabia, where he grew up. As an adult, he has honed his craft through his Youtube career since it began in 2014, carefully adjusting his scripts and research to best engage with his primarily Arab audience.
Elghandour graduated from AUC in 2016 with a bachelor’s in biology. During his time at the University, Elghandour fostered his love of reading and intellectual curiosity while engaging with the community. He started a WhatsApp group named AUC Food dedicated to promoting events and activities that offered both scholarly opportunities and free food.
Read more about Elghandour inthis AUCToday feature.
