The founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab American University, Dr. Yousef Asfour, granted the “Shireen Abu Akleh Scholarship in Digital Media” to the student Habiba Shadeed, who got the top grade in the literary stream at the level of Palestine with an average of 99.6%.
The meeting of granting the bachelor's scholarship at the Faculty of Modern Media was attended by the representative of Al-Jazeera News Media Network, Givara Budeiri, the Vice President of the University in Ramallah Campus, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Asia, the Vice President for Administrative and Financial Affairs Dr. Bara Asfour, the Dean of the Faculty of Modern Media Dr. Hanadi Dweikat, and the Assistant Dean, Dr. Saeed Abu Mualla, the general manager of the Arab American University, Mr. Faleh Abu Arra, and the student Shadeed with her family.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Asfour welcomed the attendees, and congratulated the student Shadeed for her excellence and her attainment of the top grade in the general secondary school, expressing his happiness that she chose the Faculty of Modern Media at the Arab American University. Student Habiba comes from the town of Dora, Hebron district.
About the grant, Dr. Asfour said: "The idea of Shireen Abu Akleh scholarship in digital media sparked in appreciation of the university and Al-Jazeera for the efforts of the martyr in the field of free media and the transmission of the truth. Today, for the second year in a row, it is awarded in the hope of strengthening the free media voice and enabling individuals to contribute effectively to society through media and journalism.
For her part, the outstanding student, Habiba Shadeed, expressed her great happiness with the scholarship offered by the university and Al-Jazeera, and said: "It did not occur to me that I would get a scholarship to study digital media at the Arab American University, so how about when it is linked to the name of the martyr Sherine Abu Aqelah. By obtaining the scholarship, it can be said that some of my dreams have come true today.
Shadeed continued: "I visited AAUP several times, and decided to study there before the announcement of the results of the high school exams. I loved the University, its educational environment, and I shall mention that the activities of the Faculty of Modern Media attracted me to it, where students are dealt with in a different way and that the University works to develop their skills."
She stressed that her role now is to learn and work on self-development, then graduate from the University and follow the way of the martyr Sherine in order to convey the image and voice of the Palestinian people to the world.
In turn, the representative of Al-Jazeera News Network, Givara Budeiri, said: "If Sherine were among us, she would be proud that girls from Palestine complete the path in the most difficult missions, and it is the mission through which Sherine paid her blood and life as a price to convey the voice of the Palestinian people to the world."
Budeiri indicated that the achievement of Habiba and other students in getting certificates of excellence confirms that the Palestinian people adhere to education, and that the media has an effective role in that, praising the role played by the Faculty of Modern Media in developing the teaching of digital media in Palestine.
In this context, the Dean of the Faculty of Modern Media at the University, Dr. Hanadi Dweikat, confirmed that the faculty has been keen, since its establishment three years ago, to cover all new aspects, benefit from them and harness it all to serve the educational process. This requires similar developments in the teaching of media in its various fields, and the University believes in this in word and deed.
It is noteworthy that the Arab American University had signed in 2022 a cooperation agreement with Al-Jazeera Media Network to develop the digital media environment and support the media process at all levels by providing expertise, equipping the studios of the Faculty of Modern Media with the best technologies, developing teaching curricula, training staff, and qualifying students for the job market.
