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U.S. Sends Students to American University in Cairo
FrontLines - December-January 2009-10
CAIRO -Nearly 300 accomplished yet underprivileged students have attended the prestigious American University in Cairo (AUC) due to USAID scholarships.
Abd Elghany Hamady Barakat, 20, is a blind scholar in the Leadership for Education and Development (LEAD) program, studying political science and international relations at AUC. He said he hopes to launch the school's first-ever disability awareness union and he writes for the student newspaper.
"I want to work in a job where no blind person has worked before," Hamady Barakat said. "I want to work in a job to help my country."
At AUC, Barakat has computers and other technology for blind users.
"I was dreaming when I was 11 to come to AUC because I thought it was the right place for me," he said. "It taught me how to communicate my views with different people. It also taught me how to make a change. I learned to be independent, to take a risk."
Now in its fifth year, the LEAD program funds one male and one female student from each of Egypt's 29 governorates. Qualifying students must have earned a minimum 85 percent on their year-end baccalaureate exam, participate in extracurricular activities, have adequate English language skills, and come from underprivileged families.
About 1,000 students apply each year. Egyptian government financial aid and scholarships are few. Since 2004, LEAD scholars have received some $43 million to pay for room, board, books, and tuition.
"They add so much to the classes, they add a different dimension," USAID Senior Education Advisor Robert Burch said. "They're dynamic simply because they're given a chance they never would've had."
"My parents are really proud," said Noha El Gebaly, 20, of South Sinai who is one of the few women studying engineering. "Sometimes they make fun of me saying, 'You're American.' But when they meet someone new, they introduce me first… I didn't think I'd get a chance to see the world."
The program includes volunteering in their home governorates each summer and studying abroad one semester, often in U.S. universities.
"They have to go back to their communities and serve their governorates," USAID Project Management Assistant Nader Ayoub said. "There are a lot of success stories."
All members of LEAD's first graduating class obtained jobs. Among those still in school, one was awarded a Microsoft internship and another attended Harvard University for her semester abroad.
LEAD students have special courses and requirements to meet for work in government or management.
"I enjoy having LEAD students in class," said Andrew Bassone, AUC media ethics instructor. "They have an appreciation for the education they're receiving and they work harder than all the other students. They usually sit in the front, participate, put their hands up. And personally I think the Egyptians could learn a lot from interacting with them."
The LEAD program is a partnership between USAID and AUC.
FrontLines writer Analeed Marcus wrote this series of articles following a trip to Egypt in October. All photos by Analeed Marcus.
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