Profiles of some of our Saïd Foundation alumni

Hala Raed 1999/00

“The year I spent in Leeds changed the way I see things, my approach to people; it definitely revolutionised my perspectives.

Now the Yorkshire accent evokes warm feelings in me: ‘Ta Luv, Alright Luv’, I remember I could not believe it was

English!”

Before applying for a Saïd Foundation Scholarship, Hala worked as a special education teacher for babies and children in a private practice in Beirut On her return to Lebanon, Hala opened her own Special Education clinic, where she treats children affected by several conditions among which the autistic spectrum. She combines the clinical activity with lectureship at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, where she developed and introduced a pioneer course on children’s rights. She is also in charge of the Medical Centre of the American University of Beirut. Hala’s talent does not stop here as she also advises and trains local and international NGOs which have projects on disability.

Dr Mounir Abi Said 2003/04

“There is no break or holiday in what I do; I can barely find a moment to relax. But I love my job and each animal in my centre

has a special place in my heart.”

Mounir’s dream of creating an awareness and rehabilitation centre for wild animals started in 1993, in the backyard of his house in Aley, on the outskirts of Beirut. Since then he has cured, nurtured and released to wildlife (whenever possible) a number of animals, including hyenas, wolves, bats and bears, yes bears! In 2003 Mounir applied for a Saïd Foundation Scholarship to broaden his experience on biodiversity management. He graduated from the University of Kent with a PhD on resolving human wildlife conflict taking stripped hyenas as a case study and, once back, he devoted himself heart and soul to conserve biodiversity in Lebanon and improve his centre. Mounir’s Animal Encounter is no longer a small backyard garden. A few years ago, the municipality of Aley gave him a larger piece of land where he managed to build his own Noah's Ark, including a multimedia library and a lecture hall. His centre hits more than 30.000 visitors yearly, most of whom are students from all over Lebanon. His passion does not stop here: Mounir also teaches Conservation, Ecology and Wildlife at the American University of Beirut as well as in the Lebanese University.

Mahmoud Al Ali 2008/09

“I enjoy my job because nothing more human than being supportive to people in

some of the most hardest times ever seen.”

Mahmoud graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors in English from Aleppo University in Syria. He continued his studies with a postgraduate diploma in Education from the Syrian Virtual University. Alongside his studies Mahmoud also gained invaluable experience working in the educational sector. From 1991 – 2007 he worked as a part time English language teacher. In 2008 Mahmoud was awarded a Saïd Foundation Scholar to study for an MA in Educational Leadership and Innovation at the University of Warwick. On completion of his studies Mahmoud returned to Syria and until 2014 he worked as a Specialist Inspector in English Language. Since 2017 Mahmoud’s career has focussed on supporting displaced families in Syria. He initially started working for UNICEF and then transferred to UNOCHA Qamishli sub-office in the AL Hassake Governorate. The office supports refugees across the north east of Syria with humanitarian assistance whilst advocating for international human rights.

Dr Intima Alrimawi 2009/10

“Saïd Foundation changed my life and I am very thankful to everyone for this.

They gave me the biggest opportunity in my life to move to the UK to get an MSc in

Advanced Nursing in one of the highly ranked universities at the specialty

(University of Nottingham). Without this I do not think that my life would be the

same.”

Dr Intima Alrimawi is from Palestine and currently works as an associate nursing program director at Stratford University in Virginia State (USA). She has more than five years of academic teaching experience, with a particular focus on child health, public health and research courses. She also has five years’ experience as a registered nurse working within the child health sector in Palestine. Intima has a Bachelors of Nursing Science from Sina College for Nursing and Midwifery and completed her master in community and public health at Birzeit University. In 2009 Intima was awarded a Saïd Foundation scholarship to study for an MSc in Advanced Nursing at the University of Nottingham. Following her studies she pursued a PhD in nursing studies at Nottingham. Her primary research interests are in the areas of child and community health, with the intention to develop health policies and improve the quality of health care mainly in low and middle-income countries. Her career objective is to pursue a challenging role in the field of nursing and health development, which offers immense opportunities for developing the nursing profession and the community health, with a focus on her home country Palestine. Throughout her education and research, she received multiple grants and fellowships, including Vice Chancellor's Scholarship for Research Excellence, a Ford Scholarship, International Medical Education Trust 2000 Palestine, and Epsilon Zeta Chapter, STTI – small grant research funds. She also published

her studies in prestigious journals and presented them at local and international conferences. Intima is also an active member of many international organizations that aim to develop the nursing profession. They include the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing (INDEN), International Family Nursing Association (IFNA), American Nursing Association (ANA), Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), National League for Nursing (NLN). In 2018 Intima was awarded the 40 Under 40 award for the Outstanding Emerging Nurse Leader by the Virginia Nurses Foundation.

Dr Kinda Alshaikhahmed, 2010/11

“Being a female scientist has been challenging at times, however,

understanding that positive change takes time, allowed me to focus my energy and ensure high level of accomplishments.”

Kinda is from Syria and has a BSc in Molecular Biology from Damascus University. In 2010/2011, she was awarded a Saïd Foundation Scholarship to study for an MSc in Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) one of the most prestigious research academies in UK. During her masters she achieved high research results that qualified her for a PhD studentship in 2012 in Molecular Virology. On completion of her PhD Kinda initially worked at the University of Oxford as a post-doctoral Scientist. She later worked as a Research Associate at the UCL/Cancer institute before moving to her current role as a Research Fellow at LSHTM. During her studies and career, Kinda has focused on learning the structure of viruses on molecular levels, changing and manipulating virus genome for drug and vaccine development. Through understanding the structure of the virus, Kinda generated a synthetic vaccine that mimics the structure of the live animal virus. This virus caused several outbreaks in the Middle East (particularly in Palestine), Europe and USA with significant economic losses in the industry of dairy animals. The vaccine is safer than the live attenuated one as animals would not be infected with live virus. Kinda also participated in the development of reverse-genetics system for the same virus as an alternative approach for vaccine production. She recently finished a project in which she developed a novel network approach to predict human Rotavirus genome interactions. The findings will pave the way for the

development of novel types of drug targets and/or for designing defective interfering particles. Much of Kinda’s work has been presented at international conferences and published in top-ranking scientific journals including: Publications 1. Valerie Odon, Jelke J Fros, Niluka Goonawardane, Isabelle Dietrich, Ahmad Ibrahim Kinda

Alshaikhahmed, Dung Nguyen and Peter Simmonds. (2.19). The role of ZAP and OAS3/RNAseL pathways in the attenuation of an RNA virus with elevated frequencies of CpG and UpA dinucleotides. Nucleic Acid Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz581

2. AlShaikhamed, K., Leonov, G., Sung, P., Bingham, R.J., Twarock, R and Roy, P. (2018). Dynamic network approach for the modelling of genomic sub-complexes in multi-segmented viruses. Nucleic Acid Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky881

3. Fros, J.J., Dietrich, I., AlShaikhahmed, K., Casper Passchier, T., Evans, D.J. and

Simmonds. P. (2017). CpG and UpA dinucleotides in both coding and non-coding regions of echovirus 7 inhibit replication initiation post-entry. eLife. https://elifesciences.org/articles/29112

4. Fajardo Jr. T., AlShaikhahmed, K. and Roy P. (2016). Generation of infectious RNA

complexes in Orbiviruses: RNA-RNA interactions of genomic segments. Oncotarget. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.12496

5. AlShaikhahmed. K. and Roy P. (2016). Generation of virus-like particles for emerging

epizootic haemorrhagic. Vaccine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.12.069

Alongside her research Kinda also mentors for the young scientist programme for students aged 14-18 to provide them with the opportunity to experience the actual biomedical research and motivate the coming generation of communal and worldwide health researchers. She also mentored several graduate students during their projects and thesis writing.

Nancy Hamad, 2010/11

"Living and studying in the UK made me realise the dream of the ‘future you’ has

not been determined yet. There is an unlimited number of versions of yourself

that could come to fruition, not just a slightly healthier, compassionate or

financially secure version of yourself but a radically different you."

Nancy, from Lebanon, studied Architecture at the Beirut Arab University, graduating in 2006. Before being awarded a Saïd Foundation scholarship, Nancy was a volunteer architect involved in several post-war reconstruction projects in the Naher al-Bared refugee camp in North Lebanon after the 2006 war. Since her graduation she has been working with victims of armed conflict in Iraq, Libya and South Sudan with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In her work with ICRC, Nancy was involved in visiting places of detention in Iraq and Libya where she worked on cases of missing persons and was involved in a field work survey with the families of the disappeared. She organised the International Day of Disappearance with children from missing families in order to commemorate their loved ones. Currently Nancy is in South Sudan working in the field to support people suffering the effects of armed conflict.

Anwar Jabar, 2013/14

“Saïd Foundation gave me a life-changing opportunity to come to Cambridge in 2013 for my master studies, a journey that will

soon finish with a PhD degree. This opportunity exposed me to an incredible

environment of a world-leading and interdisciplinary research and allowed me to

realise my full potential not only as a scholar, but also as a Palestinian and the responsibility that lies on my shoulders to make my war-torn country a better place.”

Anwar Jaber is an architect born and raised in Jerusalem. Growing up in a conflict zone made her life constantly complicated by the political conditions in Palestine. As a result, her personal experience has had a profound impact on her and made her question the built environment she lived in. When she obtained a bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering from Birzeit University in Palestine, her research interests in the interplay between politics and architecture grew even further and led her to join Cambridge.

Anwar joined the Centre for Urban Conflicts Research (UCR), the Department of Architecture in Cambridge on a Churchill-Saïd Scholarship to complete an MPhil degree in Architecture and Urban Studies (2013-2014). A year later, she was awarded the Cambridge Trust Scholarship to complete her PhD in Architecture at UCR. Her research investigates processes of urban and architectural transformations in cities under critical ethno-national and socio-political conflicts. She focuses on meaning and change and the role that the architecture plays in such cities. Her PhD is supervised by Professor Wendy Pullan and investigates the current spatial developments in the Palestinian city of Ramallah under the state-building project and questions the nature of this development in relation to the national Palestinian struggle.

In Cambridge, she supervised two undergraduate courses on Divided cities and Islamic Architecture, co-edited Scroope 25 (the Cambridge Architecture Journal) and fully organized a conference. Before joining Cambridge, Anwar practiced as an architect and urban planner in Jerusalem where she focused on urban development in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. She has held professional internships and leadership trainings in the US, Germany, Jordan, Turkey, Morocco, France, Palestine, and the UK.

Rita Dayoub 2014/15

"Living and studying in London was a life-changing experience that I will always look back at with pride. Not only that I enhanced my knowledge in public health and became part of a world-class University, but I also

learned a lot about myself and my own strength.”

Rita Dayoub is a Syrian dentist who specialized in periodontology and implantology at Damascus University. Alongside her clinical work in Syria, she was a first aider with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent from 2011 until 2013 and she wrote bi-weekly columns in the Arab Awakening section of Opendemocracy.net. Her personal and professional experiences during the political turmoil and the subsequent armed conflict in Syria led her to a firm belief in the critical importance of efficient provision of emergency health care and strengthening national health systems. Therefore, she started working in the humanitarian response with the International Medical Corps IMC and later on with the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC. She received a Saïd Foundation Scholarship to study an MSc in Public Health at Kings College London in 2014. Her research examined the participatory and community-based approaches to health promotion in refugee camps. After finishing her studies in London, Rita started working internationally on the provision and the protection of health humanitarian response in Syria, Zimbabwe and South Sudan. In 2018, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for International Leadership Fellowship at Chatham House in London. She continued to focus on the protection measures and strategies implemented by local health providers in the Middle East. She became an expert on the protection of health care in conflict, and she presented in over fifteen international conferences and events speaking about this issue.

In 2019, Rita founded the Health Workers at the Frontline story-telling initiative, which collects audio stories from local health workers in areas facing conflict or political unrest. The objective is to communicate the personal experiences of health workers to the public and decision-makers in the UK and beyond, to bolster the protection of and the solidarity with healthcare workers during conflicts.

Nour Kuzbari, 2014/15

“As an American born Syrian. I had the wonderful opportunity to do my masters in London with a Saïd

Foundation scholarship. Living in London, being constantly surrounded by people from different countries and

ethnicities, speaking different languages was hugely inspiring in

itself. I can tell you with no hesitation that studying in the UK is so much

more than just a year abroad and you will come out of it with more than just

a degree.”

Before her postgraduate studies Nour completed her BA in Anthropology at the University of Maryland, USA. During her studies Nour completed a full academic year in Alexandria, Egypt with the Arabic Overseas Flagship Program. After graduating, Nour moved to Lebanon where she worked for the International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized branch of the United Nations. She was selected to be one of the research assistants responsible for conducting extensive research on one of the focal topics at the ILO, Women Migrant Domestic Workers in the MENA region. The research was later used in one of the Regional Tripartite Conference to promote ILO Convention 189. Nour conducted her dissertation research in Lebanon; during her time there she worked as a visiting researcher at the Institute of Women’s Studies in the Arab World. Whilst working at the Institute Nour updated their awareness guides for domestic workers in Lebanon. Nour introduced a new guide that was targeted towards Lebanese families in a bid to raise their awareness of the roles and responsibilities of domestic workers in the country. This guide formed part of Nour’s dissertation and it was published by the Institute in August 2017.

Barik Mhadeen 2014/15

“Since 9th grade, I have received four scholarships covering different parts of my

educational journey; from high school through my postgraduate studies. The ethos, vision and mission of the Saïd

Foundation Scholarship makes it effortless to distinguish this experience from any

other. It is far more than a mere scholarship; it is a rich personal,

professional and educational journey that helps you grow, learn and mature on many

levels. It just sets the bar too-high.”

Prior to his studies in the UK, Barik received the MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship, allowing him to earn his BA in Political Science/International Affairs, with a minor in Economics at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. During his studies, Barik has conducted a number of internships, including at the Office of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Through the Saïd Foundation, Barik completed his MA in International Relations from the University of Nottingham. His research focused on social movements in the Arab world and the shifting dynamics of political contention post the 2011 uprisings. Upon returning home, Barik joined the Human Security team at the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) Institute, a policy think-tank based in Amman, Jordan. He supports the research and implementation of WANA’s several Human Security and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism projects. Barik is a member of the Mediterranean Discourse on Regional Security (MDRS); a network of independent academics and professionals focusing on security issues in the Mediterranean region, under the auspices of the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies.

Leen Aghabi 2014/15

“The Saïd Foundation realizes that potential is not an end-point, but a capacity to grow and learn. By that, they identify individuals with potential in the region and help them refine their skills and knowledge, and prepare them to return back to their home countries to positively contribute and inspire others”.

Leen, from Jordan, was awarded the Saïd Foundation Scholarship in 2014 to complete her MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior, Leen completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Affairs at the Lebanese American University, where she was supported by a full scholarship through the US State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative - Tomorrow’s Leaders Program (MEPI-TL). Following her graduation, Leen returned to Jordan and completed a research fellowship at the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute, where she contributed to qualitative research on Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism in the WANA region. Currently, Leen serves as a Researcher at the Political Affairs Directorate, at the Office of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Lina Kort 2014/15

“The Saïd Foundation made my postgraduate studies possible. I was eager to return to

Palestine to use what I had learnt to change whatever I could and introduce new therapy

approaches. I am forever grateful for the opportunity the Foundation has given me, which made my vision achievable and will

serve as a bridge for my future PhD studies.”

Speech therapy was a relatively new field in Palestine, it was only offered at Birzeit University starting 2011 so Lina studied her undergraduate degree in Jordan. She studied Speech Pathology and Audiology at Jordan University for Science and Technology which she completed in 2013. After graduating, Lina worked for the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR) in the West Bank. During her time there she quickly identified many gaps in the sector’s knowledge and expertise so in order to help the development of the field she decided to pursue an MA in Psycholinguistics. On completion of her studies Lina returned to the West Bank as the Head of Department at the BASR where she has successfully introduced new methods of assessment and treatment techniques. Alongside her work at BASR, Lina teaches at Birzeit University, where she has been able to share her knowledge and expertise with new graduating students. She is currently co-writing a book that is based on a case study of her work.

Hamza Arsbi 2016/17

“Being a Saïd Scholar opened many doors for me and introduced me to

many networks. But beyond that, the heart and soul of the Saïd Foundation

and its team made me feel part of a global family which encouraged me to be a better person and prove myself deserving of all that they have given

me.”

Hamza received a joint Saïd Foundation – Chevening scholarship to study International Development: Public Policy and Management at the University of Manchester. Prior to his studies Hamza worked for a social enterprise called the Science League which he co-founded in 2012. The Science League works across Jordan to increase access to education and teach 21st century skills to the next generation. Over the past five years, his organization reached over 4000 students in seven cities across Jordan and developed a number of supportive curricula for both teachers and students. For this work, Hamza received multiple fellowships and awards, such as the AMENDS Fellowship at Stanford and the Laureate Global Fellowship by the International Youth Foundation. He was also selected as a Jordanian success story by HM King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015. Following his masters degree Hamza returned to his role at the Science League.

Nawar Turk, 2016/17

"The Saïd Foundation gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfil my dream

and study at one of the top universities in the world. It opened the door to meeting

many interesting and inspiring professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Most importantly, I have now joined a wonderful family encompassing the best

people from the Levant, The Saïd Foundation family."

Nawar is from Latakia in Syria, he studied Civil Engineering at Tishreen University and graduated as top of his class in 2011. On completion of his undergraduate degree Nawar was invited to join the academic staff at the University and worked as a teaching assistant in the engineering department until 2016. Nawar was awarded a Saïd Foundations scholarship to study for an MSc in Construction Economics and Management at University College London. His Saïd Foundation experience included not only top-quality study at but also the invaluable experience of living in London. Bursting with world-class museums, galleries, parks, festivals and restaurants from every corner of the globe, the city offered countless novel and enriching delights just waiting to be discovered. This challenging, stimulating, eye-opening year in the UK has changed his life; it broadened his mind and paved the road to successful career prospects. After his studies Nawar moved to Canada where he is currently working towards becoming a licensed engineer in Quebec. He is also looking to pursue PhD studies in the engineering field.

Ahmad Al Rashid, 2016/17

“The programme I studied at SOAS has not only expand my knowledge of the impact violence and conflicts but

also enabled me to explore possibilities to transform challenges

into opportunities."

Ahmad graduated from Aleppo University in 2012 with a BA in English Literature. He moved to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2013 where he joined the UN to support efforts to aid Syrian refugees and Iraqi displaced people. In mid-2015 Ahmad moved to the UK and was supported by the Saïd Foundation to do his masters in Violence, Conflict and Development. Since his arrival in the UK, Ahmad worked with various groups and organisations advocating for refugee rights and children refugees. He has spoken in the UK Parliament on several occasions and written for several news agencies including the Guardian and the Independent. Ahmad also featured on the BBC’s award winning documentary Exodus which followed his long and perilous journey from Syria to the UK. Ahmad has participated in several public debates and continues to raise awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees. After completing his masters Ahmad has been working as a consultant for the International Organisation for Migration where he supports the integration of Syrian refugees resettled to the UK.

Ahmad Al Bazz, 2017/18

“Winning the Saïd Foundation Scholarship is the best opportunity a Levant student

can ever get to pursue his/her education in the UK. It took me three years of attempts

until I became well-qualified, which is proof of how high-quality and prestigious the

scholarship is.

Studying in the UK does not teach you content as much as it teaches you how to

academically think. It has been a life changing experience that provided me with

a new perspective to look at things.”

Ahmad graduated from An-Najah National University in Palestine in 2014 with a BA in Media and Mass Communication. In less than three years, he became a multi-award winning journalist and got his work published on several renowned international media outlets. In 2017, he was awarded the Saïd Foundation scholarship to study for an MA in Film and Television at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and graduated with a distinction.

For his masters dissertation, Ahmad created a short documentary film that tackled the homelessness issue in Norwich city. One month after his graduation, he was the 2nd prize winner of filmmaking category at the Nasser Bin Hamad International Youth Creativity Awards held in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Ahmad’s documentary has also been selected as a finalist by three other film festivals in the Netherlands, Morocco, and Sudan and will compete for more international awards in 2019. His most remarkable award was the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Award for best Arab short documentary film, which he received in Qatar during his participation at the Al Jazeera Film Festival in 2015.

Ahmad hopes to effectively contribute to the Journalism sector in Palestine. His long-term ambition is to create and run the first English media outlet that commits to the universally-recognized professional journalistic standards in his country, which only has few websites that depend on translators from the Arabic version. Ahmad believes that an integral English media outlet can make a big difference in the Palestinian media reality.

Ola Amareen, 2017/18

“I have always believed that there is no substitute for the full experience: the food, culture, studies, traditions, arts, languages and environment of other

country. Moreover, Jordanian culture is rich, vibrant and worthy of showing off! So being a part of the Saïd Foundation family has made this come true. Doing my masters abroad and living alone for the first time comes hand in hand with challenges and thriving experiences on

so many levels. Every other experience is dwarfed now comparing to this!”

Since completing her bachelors in Pharmacy at the University of Jordan, Ola has worked closely with public and private health sectors in Jordan. She has worked as a pharmacist responsible for providing and dispensing medicines and vaccines (adult and paediatric), and has focused on oncology and haematology medications with the aim of increasing public access to these vital services. She has also volunteered for many not for profit organisations and local community initiatives such as Operation smile, Lady of Peace Elderly House and the Humanitarian Centre. Whilst working Ola became increasingly aware of the need for change in the health sector, especially in light of the devastating crisis in Syria. It became clear that a global population level intervention was needed to cope with such tragedy. The Middle East region had made some outstanding advancements in medicine and public health, however, considerable public health challenges continued and she was determined to play a part of shaping the sector’s future. To help her achieve this Ola was selected to receive a scholarship to study for an MSc in Public Health at the University of Southampton. The programme has helped her to widen her vision and expanded her understanding of the health sector. During her studies Ola has focussed on refugees' mental health issues as a result of armed conflicts, and the emerging and re-emerging of infectious diseases and their control after displacement. Ola was also selected to be the Student Representative for the Public Health programme at the University of Southampton. After her students Ola returned to Jordan and is currently working in the health sector.

Mohamad Ibrahim 2017/18

‘’When I finished my undergraduate degree in Nursing, I took a pledge to

dedicate my life helping patients. Now with the additional masters degree, I can push the boundaries of that pledge and seek further challenging opportunities, hoping to reach out and help those in

need regardless of difficult circumstances.

And for this I am forever grateful to the Saïd Foundation making this possible.’’

Mohamad graduated from the Lebanese American University in 2015 with a BS in Nursing. He worked as an adult medical-surgical registered nurse at the American University of Beirut Medical Center for two years. In 2017 he was awarded a Saïd Foundation scholarship to study for an MSc in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care at the University of Southampton. His postgraduate education provided Mohamad with additional skills and knowledge of the dynamics of the healthcare sector, beyond the clinical work. Such education included leadership theories, strategic management, healthcare research and informatics, and others. He got the chance to be exposed to and draw on the experiences of healthcare professionals coming from all over the world. Upon completing the degree, Mohamad returned to Lebanon and joined International Medical Corps as a Project Officer. He is currently responsible for a project aiming to increase the surgical coverage of children with congenital malformations among Syrian refugees. He is screening and assessing patients in the field across the country, before referring them to consulted surgeons and following up their treatment. This project is giving Mohamad the chance to draw on his postgraduate qualifications when handling the managerial, administrative, and even financial aspects of the project, while at the same time maintaining his clinical practice and helping a vulnerable population.

Noor Abu Jbara, 2017/18

“My year in the UK has taught me that the value of opportunities comes from the

people we meet, the experience we gain, the challenges we face and the

achievements we reach. It was a very special combination that led to lifetime

experience, which improved my abilities and stretched my limits.

Thank you Saïd Foundation for an amazing

year which was and will be the base for many milestones in the future.”

Noor Abu Jbara is an Industrial Engineer from Jordan. She was supported by the Saïd Foundation to study for an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Warwick. She graduated with a distinction in 2017/2018. Her masters dissertation focussed on “Jordanian Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship. Noor has over six years’ experience in the Management Consultation field. She has worked in two consultation firms as Lead Consultant and Researcher and she has participated in diversified projects including HR consultancy projects, process improvement/modelling, strategic planning and organizational development projects. Currently, Noor is working as a Freelance Consultant, Coach and Researcher in the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Women Empowerment fields. She delivers training courses and mentorship sessions and has a special interest in economic women empowerment field. She also works in a project that aims at improving the financial inclusion of women. Noor is passionate about research and has published two conference papers “A practical Approach in Measuring Women Empowerment” and “The Innovation of Hybrid Model for Social Enterprises”. She is also a Paper Reviewer in the Academic Conferences and Publishing International. Noor is currently preparing her own social enterprise that aims at empowering women economically.