unlimited Curiosity and diversity
Curiosity is the key to achieve cultural diversity. I am curious by nature, which leads me to be curious about the other cultures; how they speak, their traditions and values, their education, and how they socialize. Since I am not from an A-class family, It is impossible to travel and see the cultural diversity myself. Therefore, I started looking for diverse communities within my country during my education journey; high school, college, and activities.
When I was fourteen, I refused to enter a regular high school. I wanted to experience diversity in a STEM high school where students come from all over Egypt and study in English. Therefore, I worked so hard that I got a scholarship to STEM. Before joining STEM, I used to study the learning material in Arabic. So, the English language was the first barrier I faced during my cultural diversity journey. I joined various competitions to enhance my language skills, such as INTEL ISEF and NASA Space Apps that host students from multiple schools and distinct backgrounds. Additionally, I joined CAC (California Activity club), where I learned how to be an English facilitator.
During applying to colleges, I dreamed of joining a university outside Egypt because I am seeking diversity. The problem was a limited number of universities offers few places for a full scholarship. I cannot afford to pay tuition or living expenses in a foreign country. As a result, I started to search for an alternative. I scored a high score in IELTS and applied to The American University in Cairo. I submitted five applications for five various scholarships and got rejected from them all. I lost hope and got depressed because I did not want to join a regular university; I wanted to declare graphic design at AUC particularly. Luckily, before the first day of classes, a student denied his application and freed up a space for someone else. So, I got an interview for a scholarship called the "Liberal Arts Scholarship." This scholarship covers students majoring in graphic design only, which is the perfect fit for me. The interviewer asked me, "what will you do if you are not accepted for the scholarship?" I said confidently, "I will definitely apply again for next semester until I get accepted." This situation proves how persistence does miracles. Fortunately, I got accepted and became an AUCian officially.
One of the most compelling experiences I went through was being a co-ordinator in Maker Faire Cairo for the "Arts&Crafts" zone. I was assigned to this zone because it includes foreign makers ―non-Arabic speakers― and I requested to lead this zone because it was an excellent opportunity to interact with diverse nationalities and experience how different they behave. During the summer break in my freshman year, I applied for a virtual, international internship in an American educational company called "GoBelieve" due to the pandemic. It was an eye-opening experience in which I knew how graphic designers out there are thinking and working. Also, I learned much stuff about the American culture, how they talk to each other casually, joke, and differentiate between work life and personal life. In my third semester, I applied for another international internship in a film production company called "Happy Merces Productions"'. It is a mind-blowing experience as I am currently working with an American Director.
Cultural diversity helps people to connect and interact more efficiently as a result of sharing different temperaments. These diverse experiences show how I am into cultural diversity and how I cannot wait to literally live in an environment that is totally different from mine.