Meet Sama, one of MECA’s recent scholarship recipients. Sama is a 22-year-old medical student at An-Najah university, where her mother and sister studied as well.

“Being a doctor has been my dream since childhood, since I wanted to help people and do something for my society,” Sama says. It hasn’t been easy. “I don’t go on family occasions or social events because I have to study pretty much 24/7. But I’m willing to let go of my personal life in order to achieve my dream.”

She explains “I don’t go to family occasions, I prefer to study hard. Even when we have our vacation, I go to the hospital to get more experience. It’s people;s lives that I am dealing with and I am willing to let go of my personal life in order to get more experience and skills. I am thinking of having my specialties in internal medicine. I think it’s the most difficult one as you have to think hard to find the causes of pain, not like other specialties where symptoms could be detected much easier.”

The fees were also a problem. “I was going to have to postpone a semester and get a side job to pay for school. College is very expensive, and my father is paying my siblings’ university fees as well. So, I’m very grateful to MECA for this scholarship.”