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The Cairo Portal of the American University. Photo from Die Freie Universität Berlin.

When I heard that Marina could have entered medical school and declined, I was astounded. She had the scores. She had what it takes. This is every student’s dream.

Why would she refuse?

It turns out that Marina got into the American University in Cairo with a rare full scholarship – the fruit of the work of Coptic Orphans over many years. This makes Marina, the 18-year old from a farming village 10 kilometers from Beni Suef, the only girl in her governorate to get this scholarship. It’s worth about 120,000 Egyptian Pounds a year and will cover all four years of her Bachelors Degree. With her mother’s widow pension, it would have taken a lifetime to pay for that first year.

Marina is a badge of pride for all of us.

Now, the school year is starting up again in Egypt. I’m confident that we can find many more Marinas in the remotest villages, just waiting to show us their amazing potentials.

This past year, I’ve seen more children make it to universities, rise to the top of their classes, and get great exam scores.  And it’s all because you believe that education is the key to building a brighter future for our children.

Let’s pray even more this year for the work of our volunteer Reps in Egypt, and continue to stand by our children as they achieve even greater things.

Please join me in congratulating Marina on Facebook.