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“Question of the Quarter” This volume of BIP News presents the opening “Question of the Quarter.” This section poses a question asking all MEPI BIP alumnae to provide their own personal reflections in response. We hope in reading each other’s responses to the “Question of the Quarter” MEPI BIP alumnae will gain new perspectives on the program. This issue's “Question of the Quarter” is: What idea or experience inspired you the most during the MEPI-BIP program and why? How have you implemented it into your life since your return home, if you have?
What inspired me most during the program is the feeling of independence & self reliance: I was all by myself, in a country where I have no real ties (I mean family & close friends). I had to learn to adjust myself to a different rhythm & way of life. I had to somehow survive :-) Once back home I decided to keep this independent style, so I found myself a job (Web Manager for the Arab Tunisian Bank) and started to pay my house rent and all my expenses without relying on my dad's financial assistance. Nidhal Hadiji Kefi How constructive diversity can be if we properly deal with it! The whole BIP experience was very inspiring; it isn’t very hard to choose something special to talk about: being with 40 wonderful and brilliant Arab women, the Emory experience, the workplace environment, that pre-thanksgiving meal organized by a fellowship I was invited for, the amazing museums I visited, the roundtables and conferences I attended and very diverse and extraordinary people I met there! All this was very special to me and what I implemented in my life is the result of so many wonderful details that sometimes look insignificant but has a very deep effect on you. I think one of the main ideas that inspired me is how much being open minded and accepting of others’ differences, learning from them without any prejudice can enrich you and make you a better person, confident and humble. Human beings are the same wherever you come from and whatever your religion is: we all have the same feelings: love, disgust, jealousy, happiness, anger… and are all able to have good or bad ideas and actions… I always believed that difference is very enriching, and that [BIP] experience confirmed my belief. For example, today I consider that one of the main basis of the American success is the large diversity of people interacting amid their different beliefs, customs and origins and how the society and politics learned through the country’s short but hectic history to integrate and allow their creativity all together without any segregation. That chemistry between all these individuals enabled them to create something inclusive and different from what is done in every country by its own. That is what I personally experienced in my hosting company where there were employees from 10 nationalities and even more. But before the internship I experienced that [diversity] through the BIP group; even though we come from the same region we had many prejudices and some ignorance about other Arab countries. We really learned a lot from and about each other thanks to our openness to new ideas and our eagerness for information. I trust our group will be able to produce the best ideas and achievements thanks to its diversity and its liveliness. Lina Al Khatib During my rich professional experience in the MEPI-BIP program, I had the chance to participate in one of the most important conferences of the American clinical chemistry association; "Challenges of lab management" which took place in the fascinating city of San Francisco last November. After receiving four months of intensive and solid academic and professional learning at both the Goizuetta Business School and on the great campus of Dow Agrosciences in Indianapolis, they have put me on the track towards the vital combination of management and technical work in the very fine medical technology service. While at Dow Agrosciences I participated in a genetic trait modification project in the molecular biology and biochemistry department. My role was isolation and purification of proteins and detecting mutation through mass spectrometry technology. I have also done some technical work for other projects and participated in the weekly meeting for my group in research and development. Once I got home I concentrated all my effort to establish our own database of lab work references. With the help of my small team, we started a slow yet confident re-engineering process including our quality management procedures. Right now, with a lot of encouragement of my father (the manager of Al Khatib medical laboratory), I am preparing the business plan to launch our new molecular genetics service next year. I believe that this great opportunity [MEPI BIP program] didn’t only refine my leadership skills but also opened new horizons in my career. Saba Al-Khudairy Being an Iraqi who suffered 14 years from sanctions, sheltered from all new ideas about business, marketing and technology, I and all of my generation in Iraq never had the chance to interact with any foreign business or company. I always wondered what it looks like to study or work abroad. The MEPI program has changed my whole life forever. I learned how to interact with different nationalities, gained new business perspectives and now understand what it looks like to work for a large successful company like United Airlines. After that whole experience I decided to continue working in the airlines industry, which I never thought of before. I am now working for Emirates-CAE Flight Training in Dubai which is a flight training school that trains pilots from all over the globe. Without my experience in MEPI I would have never been able to be successful in my career now. I also learned a lot about US culture by visiting lots of wonderful places. I made lots of friends and contacts who I still am in touch with. I have also attended lots of conferences which I enjoyed a lot and found lots of benefit. I am a Training Officer for Emirates-CAE, a Flight training school for professional pilots who fly multiengine aircraft and who have airline transport licenses. I perform administration and coordination of the training department as well as scheduling. It is interesting but very tense as well because its a big responsibility to deal with flight training records and checking the regulations before accepting any trainees. We are inspected by many authorities and any plane crash means that they will come and check the pilot's records and if they find any mistake, it is a huge problem. I don’t travel with the company; however it’s nice meeting and chatting with pilots from all over the world. Riham El-Mograby The experience and idea I found most inspiring was the power of mentoring. Before participating in the MEPI-BIP program I didn't think that the idea of mentoring even existed in the form I know today! I knew people help and consult each other but being committed to a mentor didn't cross my mind! I have always thought of mentoring as something someone would inherit or get from a successful family friend or a pro-bono service. I was absolutely WRONG. In the US at Hewlett Packard (HP), my internship mentor introduced the concept to me and made me experience it to the maximum. He always guided me on both the business and personal sides, kept me involved, invited me to meetings to increase my exposure, introduced me to many key figures, consulted me on work related to my own business, taught me business etiquette and ways to react in real business situations and much more. Upon my return, I have started to treat many people I knew or got to know later on as my mentors based on their experiences in different sectors and willingness to help in addition of course to my magical mentor from the US. I wasn't shy anymore to express my ignorance of any subject. Once I am with them, I ask them to help advise me and went even further in ASKING them directly to be my mentors. To my surprise, they were all very welling to mentor me and now, even if I am silent, I find them asking and following up on my progress and issues they have given me advice on before. I am still in touch with the folks at Hewlett Packard. I am happy I got to know them; they were a very young and energetic team! |