The road to a cure is paved with many inventions.

Syrian, from Damascus Countryside; seeking Undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and is enrolled at Lebanese International University.  

I'm Walaa Al_Ten, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon and a biomedical science student at Lebanese International University. I am the eldest of four siblings and the first to attend college in my family. My parents did not complete their education. I was 13 years old when I arrived to Lebanon. I dropped out of school for a year. The Lebanese educational system was so different I could not cope.

I have been a very curious girl. I always wonder about diseases, how they come to us, and how a solution or a small pill can cure us. Especially Thalassemia. It runs in my family; so it attracted my attention. I always think about my cousin who died because he had it.

My dream was to study pharmacy. When I finished the twelfth grade, I stopped studying for a year because I was unable to enroll in college. I was still determined to achieve my dream. Then another cousin fell victim to Thalassemia. At that point, I felt that I needed to make it my mission to understand this disease. It became a personal battle and I decided to do what I can to understand it first then to do something about it. I identified my enemy and decided to fight until I win this battle.

My residency status prevented me from applying to public school. My only way is LIU which accepts students like me.

And what better way to fight than learn about it. I know that education is my only way. I now have a personal stake and a goal.

Maybe one day I can say I overcame the disease and found the cure.

I hope I can do that with your help.

Why Would Donors Fund You?

More women need to join STEM education. I am qualified to be one, and hope to attain gender equality in Science as well.

In gratitude to my host community, I want to raise awareness about genetic diseases by joining health centers.

Succeeding in this field will be the proof that refugees can contribute to the welfare of host communities by aspiring to become scientists in their field not a drain on their communities' resources.

How Do You Plan to Payback?

• Establish centers for Thalassemia patients and provide them with proper care free of charge.
• Establishing a centre to train the sciences students and providing labs to do their experiments with the proper materials.
• I organize public awareness campaigns to encourage refugee young women to pursue their studies.
• I will cross the bridge from a recipient of aid to donor. I will allocate a part of my income to fund high education of refugee students.
• Launching awareness-raising initiatives and campaigns about diseases, their prevention and cure.
  

Volunteer Work/Social Capital

• I volunteered with the KAFA organization to give awareness lectures for children and adults about violence.
• I volunteered to distribute food rations in the camps with a youth group.
• I tutored over 7 school students for free.
• I volunteered with young men and women to clean up the remnants of the Beirut Port explosion.
• I volunteer with RDFL

What Have You Done to Improve Yourself? Awards and Achievements

Participated in the following:

• Computer office course with Actionaid
• Facilitating training workshop for leadership and youth skills with Actionaid.
• The cultural heritage Jon orientation program YOUTH NOW.
• Excel with Kiron.
• Leadership training with KAFA organization.
• Aamel association project.