From USJ to London

Things end but memories last forever. I can't believe that I got my degree twenty years ago. I miss the old days, where my concern and interest were to go to University, study for my exams and chill with some close friends in Monot coffee shops and Sodeco square.

I got my Bachelor degree in Industrial Psychology in 2002.

I got married in July 2001 and passed one remaining subject in September.

I was so excited to be pregnant with my first son while attending my graduation ceremony.

Times flies. I can remember beautiful long days at USJ Monot and Sodeco.

We used to have morning and afternoon classes. I loved psychology. I thought this major would help me to build a great family. Today, I am grateful to be a mum of three boys. My eldest is a university student too!

The campus environment was calm; in our department, females were dominant, which wasn't surprising.

I faced some challenges in "cognitive psychology" I, II, III.

 I was interested in different modules, kids, youth-adult psychology, sociology, anthropology and statistics.

I have started two courses in Master, and what was excellent, I chose marketing and media, and I never thought it could be an entry for a new career in Saudi Arabia.

I was looking to build my family and my career equally. I started my career as a teacher for special needs students in 2002 in Dubai and found myself working and learning in the digital hemisphere in Saudi Arabia. I lived in three countries before moving to London.

I worked as a digital media planner with various industries, nationalities, and sectors. I worked for real estate, fashion jewelry, and educational services campaigns.

I love Lebanon, and I wish to come back home and settle with my family. It is challenging to move to different countries with a family and start again from scratch.

Being Lebanese, we can relate to taking hard and fruitful decisions, living in an unstable political atmosphere for ages; 41 years old today, I left Lebanon when I was 21 years old, and today, Lebanon is in its worse situation. 

After living for more than 15 years in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, I moved to London four years ago. My husband established a family business. I tried to support him in his company. I attended different networking events since it is a crucial element to know better about the market in London.

In parallel, I applied for a teacher training program as a second option to find a stable career, and I passed successful interviews with UCAS.

The barrier was to fund my training since our savings were in Lebanon!

I didn't give up. I decided to run a business in the Health and Wellness sector. As a mum, I encourage my family to eat healthily and promote a healthy life routine. I was glad to meet a great lady, a Chief Editor for a premium lifestyle magazine in the UK and Europe.

She was interested in my story and invited me to be a Guest Editor for Rich Woman Arabia, a premium magazine for affluent women.

Today, I am starting small, but I have big dreams. 

Learning from the past helped me taking a new step and grab the opportunity when it comes knocking on my door. I have learnt something extraordinary from this quote, "If you fear something, dive into it."

I believe that the USJ Alumni platform is an excellent platform to connect with different alumni across the world. We can add values to each other's experiences and maybe collaborate in the future. It is essential to be connected to our roots and not forget our beautiful Lebanese cultures and traditions.

I am looking for ambitious females all over the world to tell them more about what I do.

Running an online business is something that they could consider if they want to balance family and business. I have a passion for building trusted long-term relationships. Thankful to be a present mum. Working from home helps me cooking healthy meals and baking delicious cakes.

A sea lover, I love Beirut. I wish that my country will stand up on its feet again, and we would be able to reunite with our beloved ones.