CAIRO: The American University in Cairo has admitted 54 new scholarship recipients as part of their Leadership for Education and Development (LEAD) program, the university announced in a statement. The Students, one male and one female from each governorate in Egypt, are the best and brightest Thanawiya Amma (the Egyptian high school graduation certificate) graduates. Each of the students have passed through the program s selection process and demonstrated potential for leadership and initiative. They will begin their studies at AUC this fall semester and will receive a full scholarship that covers tuition, books and living expenses. Meena Radi, from Fayoum, is one of the students to be accepted into this year s program. He graduated from military school with a score of 99 percent and learnt about the LEAD program from one of his English professors. I was so interested in the program that I logged on to the AUC Web site regularly to read about it. The program really attracted me as it seemed to care about its students, says Radi. The scholarship student plans to major in computer science. I have been interested in this field since I was young. It is the dominant field in the Egyptian market now ... The field is always developing, and hence you will always be developing yourself, says Radi. Sarah Gamal Taraman from Marsa Matrouk governorate, another scholarship recipient, plans to major in chemistry and minor in computer science. Through LEAD she hopes that she can work at one of the petroleum companies after she graduates, or even perhaps open her own pharmacy one day. This program is different from any other scholarship program I saw, says Taraman. At least here women are given a chance to excel and prove that they are as qualified as men. The program s vision is to prepare Egyptian students for the 21st Century, to become the country s future leaders. Through the program, students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to lead change in society, states Iman El-Kaffass, LEAD executive director.
