Fingerprints – supporting AUB students today and for generations to come
August 2, 2021
“I have received financial aid from my first day at AUB, which made it possible for me to continue my education at this institution and helped me reshape my dreams during these challenging times,” says Khaled El Hariri (BEN ’21) when asked why he supports Fingerprints. Thanks to the donations of Khaled and thousands of other students over the years, this student-led endowed scholarship fund, which was established in 2002 by the Office of Development in coordination with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs and the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC), is now valued at more than $2 million. Even more remarkable: it has generated proceeds that have been used to award more than $800,000 in scholarships to 330 students.
Although the economic and financial situation in Lebanon has been devastating in recent years, causing enormous difficulties for many AUB students and their families, graduating students contributed $6,750 to the Fingerprints Endowed Scholarship Fund this year. Biology major Nader Zalaquett (BS ’21) is one of the Fingerprints donors. He explains, “My AUB experience was an unbelievable one, academically and socially. Seeing the opportunity Fingerprints gives to students, why wouldn’t I contribute to help students enjoy that same experience?” Nader and Aya Kassem (BS ’21), who majored in nutrition, are among the 67 percent of Fingerprints donors who contributed the full amount of their deposits. She says, “Education is a right and not a privilege. Students deserve to be able to continue their studies without interruption.”
Nursing student Dayana Al Ghosson, who is a Fingerprints scholarship recipient, was a Fingerprints ambassador this year, urging her classmates to support this wonderful initiative. She explained that those who support Fingerprints “give us a glimpse of hope” in dark moments. Dayana continued, “Receiving such support has motivated me to continue giving great care and love to my patients in need.” Another Fingerprints Scholarship recipient, economics major Rhea Haddad, says that the scholarship she received “allowed me to forge my academic and professional future.”
“It is very gratifying to see our students who are facing such terrible challenges continue to support this initiative that benefits current and future AUB,” says VP for Advancement and Business Development Imad B. Baalbaki.
The Fingerprints campaign supported in 2021 by the USFC and AUB alumnus and trustee, Fouad Es-Said (BA ’96). In previous years, the late Kamal Shair (former student), the late Ali Ghandour (former student), Farouk Jabre (BA ’58), Omar Alfardan, and Randa El-Sayed Haffar (BA ’90), all AUB trustees, have provided generous matching funds for Fingerprints.