Judy grew up in Tripoli, Lebanon. A conservative town in the Middle East, Judy considers herself privileged to have pursued a career of her choice and made independent decisions. 

Judy pursued a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at American University of Beirut (AUB) where AUB soon became her safe haven and backbone, providing her with the basic necessities to lead a meaningful life and the space to develop her identity and purpose.

The main reason that Judy was encouraged to choose civil engineering as a career was its direct relation to human needs. “Civil engineering is the improvement of civil society through the application of scientific knowledge. Studying engineering provides a better understanding of the environment and how to use it effectively to improve the quality of life safely and smartly.”

Throughout her time in Lebanon, Judy was a witness to many engineering failures in buildings, bridges, and infrastructure and understood that these catastrophic failures were due to a lack of responsibility and knowledge of the basic civil engineering consideration and factors of safety. Judy considers herself to have a responsibility to ensure the safety of her community by educating herself and advocating better practices of safety in engineering design and application. As such, Judy is working on tailoring her professional and technical skills by enhancing her experience in the field of geotechnical engineering through perusing a master’s degree in Soil Mechanics and Environmental Geotechnics at Imperial College London. 

While at AUB, Judy enhanced her communication skills through extracurricular activities. She worked at the office of Advancement where she was responsible for planning and organizing events, reaching out to alumni, and identifying potential donors through prospect research and management. In addition to this, Judy volunteered with the Lebanese Red Cross – Youth Center to assist underprivileged and marginalized neighborhoods across Tripoli by building an inclusive society where every citizen is treated as a human indifferent of race, religion, and background. 

Judy’s desire to grow intellectually in the field of geotechnical engineering was challenged and nurtured when she was first exposed to the practical aspect of research by serving as research assistant at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) in India. After sampling life as a researcher, Judy felt the urge to evolve in the geotechnical field. As such, she decided to broaden her expertise in this field by introducing herself to a new aspect of research. Judy served as an undergraduate research assistant at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Throughout her educational and professional phases, Judy always wanted to improve, adapt, and expose herself to more engineering capacities. She believes that Imperial College London will serve as a stepping stone for any academic or professional path she chooses to take. The geotechnical graduate role offered by the university from the research available to the courses provided was her main motivation when applying for the master’s degree. Judy thinks that Imperial College London has been one of the leading universities in the standard of the education offered, the research opportunities, and the development and advancement of the field of geotechnical engineering.