Alumni Scholar Stories: Hala Hudaib '21
UWCSEA Foundation
Thank you for this scholarship opportunity. Being part of the UWCSEA community is one of the most important experiences I have ever had.”
Hala landed at Singapore’s Changi airport in August 2019; homesick but also excited about the UWCSEA experience ahead. She left her family and friends behind in Jordan, ready to join the East Campus community. She says, “Joining UWCSEA was one of the most daring steps I have ever taken.” She would be studying in English for the first time. What she couldn’t have foreseen was that the COVID-19 pandemic would wreak havoc on the world six months later, disrupting global travel and keeping her in Singapore until graduation in May 2021.
At UWCSEA, Hala joined a yoga class and a Focus Group, #Grace, where students discussed issues of race as they related to privilege. The group was keen on making an impact on the lives of others and worked with the PSE team at East Campus to implement their ideas. And like many students, Hala was immediately enthralled by the diversity at the College. She remarks, “I never imagined having friends or roommates from Ghana, India, Myanmar, or Thailand.” Some of Hala’s most profound learning came from the cross-cultural exchange of ideas and values in conversations, both after dinner in the Boarding House and the classroom. Her favourite subject was Global Politics and although she struggled at first to learn the correct terminology, once she did, she was keen to contribute. When the class was studying terrorism, she willingly shared her perspective from growing up in the Middle East. She also conferred with the teacher about selecting educational resources and was able to recommend interesting literature for the group.
She remarks, ”All of the different conversations that we had discussing political or religious topics were a blessing because it has changed how I approach people; it has increased my sensitivity and awareness of others.”
Today, Hala is in her first year studying at Georgetown University in Qatar. She plans to focus her degree on Culture and Politics. Although classes have been mostly online, she has continued to make an impact and joined the student Justice for Palestine group to learn more about what’s happening in her region. She looks forward to meeting her Georgetown classmates in person and continuing to make an impact as part of the university community.
Read more about UWCSEA's Scholarship Programme.
This article originally appeared in UWCSEA's Impact of Giving Report 2020/2021.