“Learning how to use zeros and ones to represent numbers, and learning how to endow a trillion transistors intelligence to comprehend a poem or paint a masterpiece both entice the same good old curiosity that brought me here,” he says. 

The Access Program gave Olla the chance to learn English and experience different cultures. Another key component of the program is its focus on voluntary work, which aims to help students develop a sense of responsibility towards their communities. As she took part in various community service activities, she discovered the fulfillment that comes with helping others and making a positive impact in her community.  

Rasha earned her master’s degree in sports management from Niagara University in New York State. No less important was the wealth of experience that she gained in the field of women’s sports. During her academic training with FC Buffalo's women's team, she supported the team in their clinching of the United Women’s Soccer Eastern Conference championship in 2022 and a third-place finish at the national level. She also represented the Niagara University soccer team.

Once accepted into the program, Malikah chose to spend her summer at Boston University, where she met teachers, mentors, and friends who helped her grow as a person and as a student. She learned invaluable lessons about herself, her goals, and her potential. She also had the opportunity to delve into the inner workings of computer science and determined that it was the right major for her. 

As a teenager, she didn’t feel like she had a way to address these issues until she heard from Amideast about Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust that ​finds promising young people and provides opportunity for life as they work to serve others. Each cycle, Rise selects up to 100 Global Winners that receive benefits​ including ​a residential summit, need-based higher education scholarships​, ​funding for ideas on a competitive basis​, mentorship, ​and more. 

“I remember thinking that the program was going to help me set the foundation of what I wanted for myself in the future, and sure enough it did,” she says. 

While living in her host community in Michigan, she participated in community service focused on social justice causes, discovering in the process a passion for helping others and giving back to her community. “There is no doubt that my exchange year is what sparked [my] decision to pursue a legal career,” recalls Shahrazad, who today is a lawyer for The Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS). 

With a master’s degree in fine arts under his belt, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Film and Media Studies. He joined Amideast’s English for Journalists program with a clear goal: to hone his writing and conversation skills—skills he knew he would need to enhance to advance his career. He was also drawn to the array of topics the media-focused program covered and the innovative teaching techniques it used.