Summer Social 2022
On Friday 17th June 2022, we held our first in-person summer social event in 3 years. It was an evening to celebrate our scholars’ great achievements as well as meet many of our partners and thank them in person. We hosted many of our scholars from across the UK; coming from Oxford, Cambridge, Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester. Since our virtual event in October 2021, this was the first time we were meeting so many of our scholars. It was great to hear about their experiences in the UK and learn more about their courses and future plans. Many have completed their master’s programmes and are now looking forward to working in the UK in their chosen fields or pursuing postgraduate studies at other top universities.
Our CEO Amjad Bseisu welcomed our guests with a few words about the Foundation and his personal motivations leading him to start the Foundation, including his own academic journey. Amjad left Palestine as a refugee back in 1967 before eventually settling in Bahrain. Despite early hardships, Amjad went on to study at several top institutions such as Stanford and Duke University, due to the support of generous individuals and sponsors.
The huge impact of the support that Amjad received has stayed with him and he continues to recognise the priceless value of education, and the life changing effect that scholarships can have on talented but disadvantaged young people.
Motivated by his own experiences, Amjad co-founded the Bseisu Foundation along with his wife Suha, in order to increase the availability of equal opportunities for all. As a result, we proudly support incredible, hardworking scholars from the Levant region, including refugees and displaced individuals. The Bseisu Foundation has supported over 60 students since 2017. This year alone we are supporting a total of 32 students in the UK, the US and Malaysia.
Our alumni scholar, Banah, shared a few words summarising her experience as a Bseisu scholar. The Foundation supported Banah at the University of Cambridge where she completed MPhil Genomic Medicine in 2021-2022. She is now pursuing a DPhil in Genomic Medicine and Statistics at the University of Oxford.
We also heard from members of our sister organisation, Al Muntaha, who presented their work. Al Muntaha Tutoring offers supplementary education to over 150 children in the Middle East and North Africa. University students and professional teachers volunteer to provide children aged 5-17 years old with weekly one-to-one sessions. These lessons aim to recognise and empower each child as an individual learner.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Summer Social. We’re really looking forward to hosting many more.
