I am a double degree graduate in civil engineering and political sciences. I have work experience in the private, international non-profit, and governmental sectors. My education at the American University of Beirut ranges from courses in construction design and environmental sustainability to peace building and conflict resolution. I have sought to go beyond required courses to broaden my skillset in data interpretation and analysis in order to be a strong member of engineering and management teams in my professional career. To this end, I have actively learned software usage for data analysis, such as ArcGIS. In addition to technical skills, I have undertaken various multi-cultural activities on and off campus and worked with students from different departments. My participation with the university’s rugby team developed my soft and delegation skills by growing my sense of decision making under pressure, communication, cooperation, and teamwork.

My professional work includes working alongside teams from various backgrounds to design, deliver, and manage essential construction and humanitarian projects in challenging environments, such as Kazakhstan and Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. Moreover, I have researched, analyzed, and provided policy recommendations for members of the parliament with the objective of improving the status of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Lebanon. My engineering and political internships required analyzing transversal aspects of operational environments, and providing senior management and decision makers with culturally informed policy recommendations to diverse and complex problem sets.

Both my career and my sense of personal growth are far richer due to the exchanges of knowledge I have had with technical tradespersons; more fulfilling because of the continuous dialogue with the Syrian Refugees and host communities whose access to education I have worked to support; more stimulating in light of the constant give-and-take with colleagues and senior management; and more informed and measured given the active collaboration with local institutions and authorities.