JEDDAH, 17 September 2003 — The two winners of the fall academic scholarship competition at Effat College attended orientation on Monday, their first day at the college. Hayat Said and Suzan Katamourah were the winners out of 44 contestants. This is the second academic scholarship competition for a four-year bachelor’s degree at Effat College; the two scholarships were given this year by Sultan Kamal Adham and Abdul Ilaah Mohammed Kaki. As a private, non-profit college, Effat relies on generous contributions by individuals and companies committed to local educational development by making scholarships available to deserving students.
The selection process was based on specific criteria stipulated by the sponsors and the college. “There was no ‘wasta’ or favoritism involved; it was a fair process with separate panelists evaluating eligibility criteria such as the interview, the essay, the oral presentation, the exams and academic marks. It was a difficult choice,” said Dr. Caroline Attie, director of admissions and registration and one of the six panelists on the selection committee. The panelists were impressed by the contestants’ achievements, their interviews and their personalities.
The applicants came from a variety of backgrounds and included students who were unable to afford private education, who were not eligible to study at Saudi public universities and others who applied on the basis of merit. Most of the applicants were from Saudi Arabia and the majority were from the Western region. The two winners were unusual in that they completed high school several years ago but did not have an opportunity of continuing their education.
Suzan Katamourah is 30 years old, married with three children and works at King Faisal Specialist Hospital as outpatient coordinator for the pediatric clinic, “I learned a great deal from work and acquired many skills. I kept on taking courses even though I had to drop out of college for personal reasons,” she told Arab News. “It’s difficult to go back to school but this is my dream and everyone is very helpful and encouraging, I still need to work while finishing my education.” Her essay dealt with unemployment in Saudi Arabia.
Hayat Said, 22, is a graduate of the Philippine School in Jeddah. She works as a cashier at the International School, “I really wanted to continue my education and this scholarship was a chance for me. There are many intelligent girls sitting at home because they haven’t had a chance to continue their education,” said Hayat. Her essay topic was the Kingdom’s need for more private colleges and more scholarships. “I think the role of a university education is to prepare you to become globally competitive,” she said. Both winners plan to major in computer science because it is an interesting field with many employment opportunities and is in great demand in the job market.
