Cairo, Again
The chaos that first intimidated me is what I now miss most about the city.
Culture
Stories highlighting campus culture, inspirational humans, and everyday life.
Cairo Beats
On stage at last year’s AUC Tahrir CultureFest, singing in Arabic for the Nostalgic Notes of Cairo performance was Aleksandar Columby, a Czech-Serbian independent artist and CASA@AUC student in the 2024-2025 academic year. Columby has a bachelor’s in Middle East studies and Arabic language from Charles University.“I’ve been singing ever since I had a voice,” Columby says. After moving to Cairo for the CASA@AUC program, Columby has continued to venture down various musical pursuits. At the Tahrir...
Born to Build: A CEO's Journey
After graduating, Barsoum followed a typical path for high-achieving students by working as a consultant at the large management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. From there, he quickly shifted to his extraordinary route, becoming an entrepreneur. “I love consulting. It’s a great industry, but I realized I’m more of a wild card,” Barsoum says, “I want to break the rules, to destroy and rebuild.”Once that became clear, Barsoum decided to give entrepreneurship a shot. “It became obvious what I...
One Student's Journey to the Future
For students like Perihan Elsheikh, a political science major who came to AUC with an end-goal in mind, the journey is where the magic happens. As an undergraduate, Elsheikh has been involved in 10 student organizations, landed three internships and explored 12 countries on exchange — and she’s not done yet.“My long-term goal is to open my own NGO dedicated to helping women and children in Egypt, especially those escaping domestic violence,” says Elsheikh, who has dreamed of having a positive im...
Eat Like an Egyptian
How do we know about ancient Egyptian cuisine? Through several types of archaeological evidence:Animal remains or bones reveal slaughter marks, which tell us which cuts of meat people wanted at the time. Some remains show evidence of burning. For instance, the jaw of a pig will have parts that are singed if it’s been spitroasted. Plants reveal how and where people were sourcing their products and what they were eating. Whether animal or plant remains, we find the wastes or leftovers — bones, pee...
A Diplomat in the Making
Of German and Indian descent, Paul Hahn grew up in Kenya, where his family worked. After graduating from high school, he completed one year of international studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, came to Cairo to study Arabic, “fell in love” with the city and applied to AUC — where he dreamed of studying the Middle East. Fast-forward to today, Hahn is a Middle East studies sophomore attending AUC on an Excellence Scholarship, a member of the University swim team, a Student Ambassador a...
Stage of a Lifetime
The year was 1964 when alumna Leila Saad, soon to be Miss Egypt, first fell in love with theatre and launched an acting career that has lasted 61 years (and counting) A tall wooden door guards the Heliopolis apartment where, on a Saturday afternoon, Leila Saad ’66 checks emails on her iPad and prepares for a day of work. Amid the funky statues, potted plants and fairy lights that furnish her apartment, Saad fills the space with a smile, her white hair and pixie cut accentuating her vibrant energ...
From Poverty to Possibility
A gift of goats and sheep is one element of a broader project that the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Middle East and North Africa is assessing to help thousands of Egyptians graduate out of poverty, with AUC’s help.As a research institute, J-PAL Middle East and North Africa — housed at AUC’s Onsi Sawiris School of Business — has completed over 60 studies of different types of poverty interventions across the region. One of its most influential evaluations was of Bab Amal (A Door...
Building Begins
Coming to campus soon are three new sites that will transform AUC as we know it. Underway are the Technology, Research and Innovation Lab (TRI-Lab), the public-facing Extended Education Hub and accessible NextGen Student Living and Learning Spaces — all central components of the Campus 2026 development project.“This is the year we take our vision from a big idea to a tangible reality,” says AUC President Ahmad Dallal. “Over the past several years, the University has worked to shape the plans for...
Digitizing Heritage
From the 1920s to the 1960s, Khanji Publishing House played a leading role in editing, printing and distributing important Arabic and Islamic manuscripts. Last fall, in collaboration with five U.S. institutions — the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, New York University, the University of Michigan and the College of Charleston — AUC acquired the Maktabat al-Khanji Archive — a rare collection of thousands of documents covering the day-to-day business of the publishing house.With...
The Secret to a Long Life
The protocol is an example of collective intelligence, bringing together members from the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, as well as many countries in Europe, the Caucuses and the Middle East/Mediterranean regions. “When we show this type of collective intelligence, funders are very attracted to give grants,” says Chun, touching on another benefit of the research network.The next step will be to create a pilot test to determine whether the protocol is valid or not....
AUC, Silver Screen Film School Launch Egypt's First Film Business Certificate
AUC’s School of Continuing Education (SCE) recently graduated the inaugural cohort of Egypt’s first Film Industry Business Certificate, a program that launched this summer in partnership with the international Silver Screen Film School in Romania.“The certificate bridges a long-standing gap in film education, merging creativity with the vital business skills needed to thrive in the film industry,” said SCE Dean Mahmoud Allam. “We’re proud to introduce a program that speaks directly to the needs...
Graphic Design Students Create Social Impact
Mounted on the exhibit wall, three black and white drawings by student artist Maram Alsayed ’25 display mystical scenes of animals with humanistic characteristics while flame-like patterns swirl in the background. In the first scene, a man dressed as a medical doctor donning an Ottoman fez is surrounded by animals, including similarly dressed lambs holding hands and two chickens carrying a cane. The next scene depicts a shisha party with only one human attendee; the rest are animals. In the fina...
AUC Establishes Laila El Baradei Best Thesis Award
To honor the legacy of Professor Laila El Baradei ’83, ’88, who passed away in April, the Department of Public Policy and Administration (PPAD) at AUC has developed the Laila El Baradei Thesis Award to recognize an outstanding graduate thesis within the department. At the time of her passing, El Baradei held the positions of professor and chair of PPAD at AUC.“Dr. Laila El Baradei left behind a lasting impact on her students and colleagues, as well as lasting influence on the local and internati...
Journalism and Mass Communications Faculty, Alumni Receive International Recognition
Alumni and faculty from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications (JRMC) have received international recognition for their work this summer.At the International Communication Association (ICA) annual conference held in Denver, Colorado, Laila Abbas (MA ’24) received the Top Dissertation Award for her master’s thesis, titled, “Emotionally Stimulated Activism on TikTok: The Impact of Exposure to Audiovisual Moral Violations on Collective Action in the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement.”He...
Brandeis Student Comes to AUC
“My interests in this region have been instilled in me since my childhood through conversations with friends, peers and family, and hearing about it on the news,” said Allan Feldman, an economics and Middle East studies junior on an exchange semester from Brandeis University.Feldman’s interest in the Arab world took on an academic fervor when he began studying the region at his home institution. “I decided to take Arabic classes at Brandeis and enjoyed the challenge of the language, which natura...
Meet Husn Turki: 2025 Undergraduate Commencement Student Speaker
An international student from Yemen, biology senior Husn Turki described her AUC experience as “surreal,” offering unparalleled opportunities in the region. She was excited to be selected as the June 2025 undergraduate commencement speaker.“It’s a really big deal, not only for my family but also for the whole community that I’m from,” said Turki about graduating from AUC and being the undergraduate class representative for the upcoming commencement.“AUC is where I lived for the past four years,...
Leaving Egypt to Discover Egypt: The Unexpected Lessons of a Study Abroad
When junior Marwan Shawwara moved to the south of France to study at Sciences Po last fall, he was prepared to step outside of his comfort zone and experience the trials and tribulations of a semester abroad. Most of the time, Shawwara lived as a typical exchange student — he found community, made lifelong friends, played college soccer with weekend tournaments around France, and backpacked through seven countries and 24 cities. “It’s me and my backpack against the world,” he said.However, what...
Capstones Without Borders: AUC, Waterloo Partner for Research Innovation
Imagine taking your studies across continents without ever leaving the classroom. That’s what a new AUC partnership seeks to allow for the University’s most tech-inclined. By pairing with the University of Waterloo — Canada’s top-ranked university in computer science and engineering — AUC is promising joint supervision of capstone projects for students, with the possibility of graduate studies at Waterloo and mutual campus visits.The program began in early 2025, allowing students from both insti...
AUC Researchers Link Rising Temperatures to Women’s Cancer in Landmark Study
A new study correlating rising temperatures with women’s cancer in the Middle East recently attracted global media attention, seizing headlines in outlets like The Washington Post, Daily Mail, Fortune and more. Behind the research are authors Wafa Abu El Kheir-Mataria (MPA ’18, PhD ’23), a senior research fellow at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (IGHHE), and Professor Sungsoo Chun, who conducted the observational study at IGHEE.“This research rang an alarm that we need to be...
From Student to Statesman
From New York to Belgrade to Addis Ababa, Amr Aljowaily ’90, ’93, assistant foreign minister of Egypt and former Egyptian ambassador to Serbia, has traveled the world in service of his country. But long before his name appeared on international awards or diplomatic rosters, he was a student discovering passion and purpose at AUC.
“AUC is a university, yes, but to us, it was more than that. It was an exploration of life,” he says.
Aljowaily prides himself on his participation in cocurricula...
“AUC is a university, yes, but to us, it was more than that. It was an exploration of life,” he says.
Aljowaily prides himself on his participation in cocurricula...
Microplastics: The Good, the Bad, and the Disposable
Hearing talk of microplastics and their health effects? We spoke with Hassan El-Fawal, professor of biomedical and health sciences and founder of AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, to clarify what exactly these fragments are.
Microplastics (MPs) refer to nonbiodegradable plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in length. They can be found in a number of different products and processes, such as plastic pellets for use in industry, personal care products and more.
These tiny...
Microplastics (MPs) refer to nonbiodegradable plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in length. They can be found in a number of different products and processes, such as plastic pellets for use in industry, personal care products and more.
These tiny...
‘My Name Begins with a D’
Egyptian feminist Doria Shafik once graced AUC’s Ewart Memorial Hall before leading a revolutionary women’s march. She was a poet, editor, activist and leader of the women’s liberation movement in Egypt, playing a pivotal role in securing women’s right to vote.
Today, Shafik’s original article drafts, photographs and copies of her magazine, Bint Al-Nil, are stored and maintained by AUC’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library. How did her legacy come to be preserved by the University?...
Today, Shafik’s original article drafts, photographs and copies of her magazine, Bint Al-Nil, are stored and maintained by AUC’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library. How did her legacy come to be preserved by the University?...
AUCians at First Regional AFS Youth Assembly
Earlier this month, 14 AUCians joined young changemakers from the MENA region at the first-ever Regional American Field Service (AFS) Youth Assembly in Cairo to tackle urgent issues like climate change, education and food security.Inspired by the United Nations Summit of the Future, the regional assembly met for one day to discuss the needs and interests of future generations while calling for meaningful participation of youth in forums for progress. Junior Jannah Hella, who attended on behalf o...
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