Impact Stories

“Without ULYP, I could not have entered AUB, the university of my dreams. ULYP staff aided me with every step I took throughout the whole journey,” remembers Mohammad Zamzan (BE ’18). Jana Al Mawed (BA ’17), who majored in English literature, also credits the Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP) for making it possible for her to attend AUB where she became “an active agent of change and a strong independent young woman who got the chance to realize her potential.”

ULYP support begins long before students come to AUB. The project works with students while they are still in high school to ensure that they will be ready to apply for university—and then succeed when they get there. ULYP assistance includes preparation to take standardized tests (SAT, TOEFL, etc.) required for university admission, identifying universities, completing application forms, and career counseling.

ULYP, through its “Bridge Program,” has been providing comprehensive scholarships to Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian students residing in Lebanon since 2010. AUB and ULYP recently signed a scholarship collaboration agreement to formalize the inclusion of the ULYP program as part of AUB’s Leadership, Equity, and Diversity (LEAD) initiative. ULYP students are now part of a large diverse family of almost 700 scholars who are experiencing a transformative educational experience at AUB. “Being part of the LEAD initiative alongside other major scholarship programs has taken our longstanding partnership with AUB to another level of cooperation,” commented ULYP founder Melek El Nimer. “Our students now have the privilege of being part of a select group who will be better prepared for the challenges they will face as leaders of tomorrow.”

Scholarship programs under the LEAD initiative provide full tuition support, funding to cover living and other expenses, academic support, psychosocial support, civic engagement and leadership training, and assistance transitioning to the workplace when they graduate. “We are very proud of these remarkable students, and all those who have graduated from the growing number of LEAD initiative programs,” said AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri. Professor Malek Tabbal, director of the LEAD initiative, echoed the president’s remarks. “Our LEAD students inspire all of us.”

“ULYP showed me that dedication and persistence do pay off at the end, and that strong will and heartfelt prayers get one what he/she wants. I hope that one day I’ll be able to change the lives of people, just the way ULYP has changed mine. I am forever thankful for the generous scholarship I received and will strive to make ULYP proud of me,” says business administration major Ahmad Atwat.