For Tarek Soliman '11, a trip to Germany during his senior year at his school in Assiut governorate made all the difference. Excelling in German as a second language, Soliman was among the top 12 German-speaking students
in Egypt and was selected to attend a summer exchange program there.

"I spent three weeks in Germany and saw a whole new world, and that changed my perspective altogether," Soliman said. "I knew then that I could not just go to any university, but one that would open up opportunities for
me and help me become something." So when the chance came to apply
for a scholarship at AUC, Soliman was first in line. Soliman joined AUC as a recipient of a Mobinil Public School
Scholarship.

The Mobinil Public School Scholarship Fund was established in 2010 to provide scholarship support to four students from Egyptian public schools. For Soliman, his dreams were set on computer science, a field he believes is crucial for any nation to advance. "I like computer science," Soliman explained, "because, even though it constantly changes, you could easily catch up and stay up-to-date by educating yourself online. All you need is your brain and a computer screen.
This is unlike fields such as mechanical or electrical engineering, where the technology itself is needed for the earning process to be complete, and this may not always be feasible in countries like Egypt."

Studying computer science was an enjoyable xperience for Soliman, as was his participation in a multitude of student activities. These include
serving as president of the Help Club, the student representative of community-service clubs at AUC's
Clubs and Conferences Committee, as well as fundraising head of the Robotics Club. In addition, he worked at the Student Union, where he was granted the Best Member Award, and volunteered in numerous University events including the New Cairo campus inauguration and the First- Year Experience program. "These activities definitely changed my personality," Soliman recalled.

"Not only did I learn communication skills and time management, but I overcame my fear of trying new things. It was the first time for me to be involved in so many activities and the first time to serve as head of a big rganization such as the Help Club with more than 60 members, so I got used to dealing with new situations and egan to think outside the box." This newfound sense of confidence prompted Soliman in his senior year to apply for a competition in the United Arab Emirates, with contestants from different countries, for the design of BlackBerry applications.

Winning in the competition, Soliman designed another BlackBerry application as an intern at a software company and was soon receiving job offers after graduation. Today, he is an associate software engineer at Sykes. Looking ahead, Soliman hopes to establish his own animation school, which will provide online mentoring services and produce high-quality animation series focused on altering people's attitudes and changing bad habits. "There aren't proper animation schools in Egypt, which means that people like me have to pay very high rates to go to school online or out of the country," Soliman said. "I want to bring this level of education to Egypt." To support scholarships at AUC, visit www.aucegypt.edu/giving/supportstudy.

By Dalia Al Nimr