Scholars in the News
Reshma Tharani, 21, is part of a new breed of community college student
Scholar Performance
Tessa was featured with her chamber group on the national radio program 'From the Top'.
Farah H. Ghniem
"I aim to combine a career in international development with one as a writer. I will start working as an engineer with a development agency. Such work is at once gratifying and inspirational, for it will provide me with experiences that will inform my writing."
- Alumni of: 2007 Graduate Scholarship Program
- Four-year College or University: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Graduate School: New York University
- Other Interests: Vocal Music, Piano, Mountain Climbing
Biography
In her childhood, Farah Ghniem was a Palestinian refugee in Amman, Jordan. She took joy in books and writing, and also excelled in sciences and math. Awkward teen years passed, and nonconformist Farah formed few friendships and craved change and travel. She chose to attend college in the United States, weighing MIT for civil and environmental engineering against University of Pennsylvania for literature. Her parents pressed the practical engineering education, and Farah ceded. "Today, I have no regrets. My field of study has exposed me to international development, an area of work about which I feel quite passionate." At the same time, Farah loves fiction writing.
During her MIT program, Farah studied abroad in development projects in Brazil. "Teaching the people in a rural village to purify water using solar/UV water disinfection, I was also able to converse with them through a translator and learn about their life stories." Junior year was spent abroad taking engineering courses at the University of Cambridge. The British university system did not allow Farah to enroll in any English literature classes, but she found spare time to spend in libraries and money to buy many books. Farah decided then to resume English studies in graduate school. Her parents still protested, but this time, Farah prevailed. The price of the graduate degree remains out of reach of the family's finances, and only this scholarship allows her to pursue her personal dream. She intends to seek employment as an engineer in the Middle East and write about her experiences. She hopes her literary works can introduce the world to the Arabs and Palestinians she knows and loves.
Other Scholars Like Farah
Elizabeth Holmgren
College Scholar
Pennsylvania State University
Laura Amussen
Graduate Scholar
Maryland Institute College of Art
Esther Huang
Graduate Scholar
Harvard University
Julius Onah
Graduate Scholar
New York University