On June 22, Lina Abu Zubaida ‘17 hosted an activity with 37 Access students in Rafah in Gaza. She discussed with the Access students key points to guide them as they embark on their journey of applying for university and scholarships. 

The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged students, primarily between the ages of 13 to 20, in their home countries. Lina is an alum of the Access program and is now pursuing graduate student in Qatar on a fully funded scholarship. She collaborated with her former Access teacher to organize the meeting with the Access students.  

During the session, she tackled several topics ranging from preparing for college entrance exams to writing personal statements to tailoring their college applications to improve their chances of getting a scholarship. She discussed how to choose a major that will help them achieve their goals. She also shared how she applied to YES after participating in the Access program, which then led her to applying for the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Lina also shared a list of fully funded scholarships that the students could apply for. The students were most interested in how to get involved in exchange programs.  

Lina feels responsible for sharing her experience and motivating young students to strive for success. She wants to help like-minded students find their passion and enhance their academic and professional background. Lina encouraged the high school students to apply for any opportunity they could find, because the only risk is not taking the opportunity to apply and never having a chance in the first place.  

Lina Abu Zubaida (YES 2016-2017, Gaza, placed by AFS-USA in Sitka, AK)