Nourhan Ashraf Fouda, an Egyptian student, has been praised by US First Lady Michelle Obama for her technological acheivements.
Speaking at Let Girls Learn, an event to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Michelle Obama held up Fouda as an example of how opportunity-promoting schemes have benefit young Arab women.
"We see the impact of our work in the story of a young woman named Nourhan in Egypt. When Nourhan got accepted to a girls’ science and technology boarding school supported by USAID, of course she was hesitant to leave home. But she took the plunge, and today, she’s an avid coder. And when speaking about her plans for the future, she says, “I dream of being the youngest Nobel Prize winner for Nuclear Physics,” Obama said in her speech.
Fouda described how she took part at the Tech Exchange, a US scheme that gives Arab girls the chance to visit the US to learn technology skills. Through the program, young female representatives of various Arab countries learn information technology in the US. They visit electronic companies and take courses in programing. Fouda said she took part in the three-week program between 21 July-13 August 2015.
Fouda expressed her happiness to have been mentioned by the First Lady in her speech for International Women's Day. Fouda hopes to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics one day.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
