Meet U.S. Embassy Exchange Alumni
Farida, Ahmed and Abdullah are exchange alumni who will answer your questions about applying to study in the United States. Visit the U.S. Embassy Cairo Facebook page on June 14 at 3 p.m. for a Facebook LIVE chat with them.
Farida, TechGirls
Farida is a 16-year-old high school student who attends Futures Language School. Last summer, she participated in a STEM-focused exchange program called TechGirls, where she learned coding. In the future, Farida hopes to apply her skills to improve education in developing countries.
She speaks German, and has studied English for 10 years. She has also focused her academics on biology, media, and technology. She has been involved in many presentations at school and abroad, and has attended social entrepreneurship camps, where she won an award for a project proposal on improving slums. She also created a startup called “7aga Mofeeda Ma3a Farida,” where she teaches girls how to be creative, and encourages other teenager girls to speak up and present their ideas.
“I am ambitious, and I want to travel worldwide eventually to empower girls to chase their dreams,” Farida says.
Ahmed, SUSI exchange program on civic engagement
Ahmed is a senior in the engineering department at Suez University. Parallel to his study, he has been involved in many civil society activities which qualified him for the Study of the United States Institutes “SUSI” exchange program on Civic Engagement last summer.
After returning to Egypt, Ahmed was awarded another scholarship, called “Alumni TV,” and used this grant to volunteer with Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services in Cairo as a filmmaker. Ahmed’s short documentary won first place at the 2017 Ockenden International Prize competition at Oxford University in the UK.
Ahmed looks forward to answering your questions about how to apply to participate in a SUSI program and the experience influenced his education.
Abdullah, SUSI exchange program on social entrepreneurship
Abdullah earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Benha University in 2016 and lives in Qalyubia. He was invited to participate in the Study of the United States Institutes “SUSI” exchange program on social entrepreneurship in summer 2015, where he spent most of his time at the University of Connecticut.
After he returned, Abdullah and another alumnus began a program to help other young Egyptians learn about and apply for scholarships. They expanded this initiative in July 2016 when they launched MARJ3, an online platform providing information and consultancy about opportunities and scholarships to study abroad for students from the Middle East and North Africa. Abdullah also works at INJAZ Egypt as an entrepreneurship trainer, and works at AMIDEAST as a proctor for international tests.
