Thursday, August 24, 2023
More than 650 graduating students made donations to the Fingerprints Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2023, continuing an AUB tradition that dates to 2002. That was the year that the Office of Development, in coordination with the Office of Student Affairs and the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC), launched Fingerprints, an initiative that mobilizes AUB students to support a scholarship fund that benefits other AUB students and establishes a culture of giving among them.
Talal Kaddoura (BBA Finance ’23) is one of the graduating students who contributed to support Fingerprints in 2023. He explains, “at the heart of my decision to donate to the Fingerprints Scholarship Fund at AUB lies a profound sense of gratitude and a strong commitment to giving back to the institution that played a pivotal role in shaping the person I am today. As an alumnus, I cherish the memories, the transformative experiences, and the lifelong friendships forged during my time at this brilliant institution. This institution gave me the best education, experiences, and the opportunity to establish solid lifelong friendships in a very uncertain country. This wouldn’t have been possible without the financial aid that was granted to a huge number of students including myself. Fingerprints was one of the ways for me to give back to my AUB community, initially as a USFC member and as an ambassador, all the way to a graduating donor.”
Samer Chammaa (BE Electrical and Computer Engineering ’23) is also a member of the USFC and a strong advocate for the Fingerprints program. “As a student representative, I passionately supported the Fingerprints scholarship initiative, encouraging fellow graduates to support the cause. Their generous contributions not only created a positive AUB community but also instilled a sense of appreciation, making this scholarship valuable for students’ educational journeys.”
Fingerprints also received strong support from the USFC and an AUB trustee keeping up a longstanding tradition of support from the USFC and AUB trustees. “As a VP for USFC, I believe Fingerprints was the most important and impactful project we worked on as students,” said Joseph Soueidy (BE Industrial Engineering ’23). “At the end of the day it is an initiative from students for students. It’s honestly amazing to see the impact of a small yet genuine contribution. Donating as a member of the Class of 2023 was one of the most meaningful things I did in my senior year.” The critical support received from thousands of students like Talal and Joseph over the last 21 years has been life changing to many students, especially during these exceptionally difficult times for Lebanon and the region.
Nursing student Jad Deeb had this to say when asked about the impact of receiving a Fingerprints Scholarship. “It carried me through a collapsing economy, enabling me to pursue my higher education, which in turn made it possible for me to give back to the community through nursing,” he said. This scholarship is especially meaningful to the recipients because it is funded primarily by other students. “I am incredibly grateful for this support and want to express my sincere thanks,” said Ola Moussalli, a current business administration student at AUB. “Receiving the Fingerprints Scholarship has truly been a transformative experience.”
The Fingerprints Endowed Scholarship Fund, which is now valued at over $2.5 million, has so far provided more than 383 scholarships worth more than $946,760 to AUB students like Jad and Ola. The need will be even greater in the years to come, but thanks to the philanthropy of AUB students, we are confident the fund will continue to thrive, and transform lives.