“I grew up in a middle-class rural environment. As we all know, education did not have such high level, and improved progressively with time. I grew up to the fact that I had an average-level education and was faced with life strains early because of the general situation at that time and that is still going to date. My family comes from a rural environment and relies on agriculture. Most of my brothers and sisters have completed their studies in Syria and got into universities and institutes with different specializations. I am currently working on my Master’s dissertation at the Lebanese University with the support of a HOPES scholarship. The HOPES program still offers me financial and psychological support, which gives me stability and determination regarding my ambition, to pursue what I am doing. HOPES is like my family who took care of its children as they grew up, and I am one of those who have benefited a lot from the program. If it was not for some university difficulties, I would have been elsewhere today, and if it was not for the HOPES program and its support on all levels, I would not have been able to be where I am today, completing the second year of my Master’s program. I am currently preparing my thesis. In the future, I aim to fulfil my educational mission in good faith, in my country or any other country. I also want to take various education courses that would contribute to developing education curricula and teaching methods in our countries. My biggest ambition is to suggest innovative and new methods that allows developing the education process in different ways. I address a message to other students facing the same difficulties, to set a goal from the beginning to avoid getting lost along the way. To choose their academic career autonomously. To have will and ambition, to overcome any challenges, not to give up, to fight till the end, and to pursue their studies at any time, at any age, for the ignorant is whomever doesn’t try. Failure can happen once and more, but trial leads to success, and without trying and making mistakes, one can never find the truth.”
By Khaled El Asri
2019
