I don’t usually open up on social media, but today, I'd like to share with you what I have experienced during the last few years through my first LinkedIn post.

It all started 10 years ago when my brother and I received the official “Brevet” and Lebanese Baccalaureate results respectively. My parents were really proud and happy, but unfortunately this happiness didn’t last long: the unpredictable was about to happen the next day…Mom, who was in a healthy condition, suddenly passed away. I was 15 years old back then, old enough to understand that this event would be life-changing. First thing to do was to learn how to adapt, how to move on and how to live with it: I changed my mindset - learnt to always be happy because this is what she would want, now that she’s closer to me than ever. Then I had to change my routine. When I got accepted at USJ-ESIB, I had to face another challenge as this was a private engineering school and we couldn’t afford the fees. I told my Dad that I was never going to lose hope and that I would keep trying to apply for a scholarship. After several meetings, I was lucky enough to get a full scholarship thanks to “Service Social de l’USJ” and “Habib Foundation”.

After four full years at my university, my academic transcripts allowed me to apply to the prestigious Ecole des Ponts in order to obtain a double degree in civil engineering. However, I still did not have the additional financial means to be able to carry out these studies but the LafargeHolcim-Ecole des Ponts chair financial aid would later allow me to pursue my goal and graduate from college with a double diploma, as well as a master’s degree in Material Science for Sustainable Construction.

Today, I am proud to announce that I have successfully completed my years of study in France, having obtained a grade of 19/20 on my thesis. It’s also an honor to say that I got selected for the BETTENCOURT Excellency prize: the best education for a student entering the Master's programme through agreements with foreign universities.

I started my professional career almost a year ago at ORIS, the first artificial intelligence platform for road construction industry, after having completed a 6-month internship at Holcim where ORIS was first born as a project.

At last, I would like to thank everyone who stood by my side during difficult times: my friends, my family including my guardian-angel, and each and every person (or company & foundation) that helped me get here. I am also grateful for my 16 years of experience as a Scout, as it taught me to be responsible, to adapt, to overcome life’s obstacles, and so much more.

If you’re still reading this, here’s a summary of some lessons life has taught me so far: know that you can change your mindset at any time, always try to find positivity even when it seems impossible, never give up, and believe in yourself even when there’s only very little hope.

This is only the beginning and I’m sure that the best is yet to come.