“I live with my mother and brother. My father passed away. My twin brother and I have chosen the same field of studies. We aspire to progress in the field and reach advanced and efficient levels. The absence of my father has been the biggest difficulty, since my mother had to play both roles, which forced me to support her and do some sacrifices. However, these circumstances were not an obstacle to my success, but rather pushed me to improve and succeed to reach my goal and stand by my mother’s side. The fact that my mother had to work to provide for my brother and I, had pushed me to strive and work hard to make my mother proud and feel that her work and fatigue did not go to waste. I was accepted at a scholarship program before, but I did not take it because it required me to specialize in a specific field. I chose this field of studies because it is special; it constitutes the pillar of all specializations and is key to future job opportunities. We all know that studying at the Lebanese University requires a lot of time, which makes it hard on students to cater to their needs in terms of university expenses and subsistence. HOPES scholarship has helped me by removing such burden weighing on me and by ensuring my needs without having to neglect my academic duties. I consider being among the top three students in my field as an achievement and I am proud of it. I aspire to reach the highest levels in the field of statistics and to gain experience, after which I would open my own project. I know it is a dream, but I will do my best to make it a reality. For those students who are faced with the same challenges, do not give up, for you will always encounter difficulties in life, fight and win. We have the right to study and reach high levels.”
By Elias Gerges
2019
