AUC Celebrates Scholarship and Academic Achievement
The American University in Cairo (AUC) celebrated its newly-awarded scholars and awarded outstanding current scholars at the Second Annual Scholarship Ceremony in the presence of scholarship recipients, their parents, faculty and staff. “This is one of my favorite events,” said AUC President Lisa Anderson. “The selected students are an asset to the community,” added Anderson to a crowd of enthusiastic students and proud parents.
AUC hosts a wide array of scholarship funds – from the Public School Scholarship Fund and Tomorrow’s Leaders Middle East Partnership Initiative to Empower and AUC-Misr El Kheir – to name a few. These funds, supported by generous and committed donors, award scholarships to outstanding students of all ages and majors. Scholarship recipients are some of the top-performing students at the University, and many have gone on to further their education at prestigious graduate schools abroad and to assume key leadership positions in their fields. According to Anderson, the success of the scholarship students reflects on the success of AUC.
Echoing Anderson’s sentiments, Vice President for Student Affairs Khaled Dahawy assured the students that they made the right choice in coming to AUC. “AUC is the beacon of knowledge. It has a lot to offer, from a diverse student body to rigorous academic programs, international faculty, extracurricular activities and room to express your opinion freely,” Dahawy added.
The event concluded with four inspiring speeches from AUC alumni scholars. Ingy Zarif, former recipient of the May and Ahmed Heikal Public School Scholarship Fund, graduated in Fall 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. This month, Ingy will be leaving for the United States to assume her new job as software development engineer at Microsoft, her lifelong dream. “If it was not for the scholarship, it would have been hard for me to be here today achieving my dream,” said Ingy, encouraging her fellow colleagues to benefit as much as they can from their experience at AUC. “Never stop fighting for your dreams. The treasure is your journey and not your destination.”
Mohamed Nasr, another success story, was the Magdy Tolba Public School Scholarship Fund recipient until he graduated in June 2011 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Mohamed ranked third in thanaweya amma across Egypt and he had seven options to choose from for his undergraduate studies. “I would have regretted it so much if I did not choose AUC,” affirmed Mohamed. “AUC is not just an academic institution, it is a life experience.” Mohamed has been awarded two PhD opportunities, one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom. He attributes his success to the scholarship he was awarded and to the trust his scholarship donors extended to him. “Donors,” he added, “keep it up, and help lead new generations through AUC.”
A college education is one of the largest investments a person makes; it is also one of the most important. A scholarship to AUC gives students the resources and motivation to devote their time to expanding their intellectual capabilities and research potential, without having to worry about covering the cost of tuition. By identifying and supporting emerging talent, donors to AUC help create a network of future leaders committed to enhancing the living conditions of citizens in their respective countries.
