Returning to Ramallah

Mohamed Abuzaid ’11 didn’t expect to attend AUC, but a fateful email from the registrar’s office changed his life.

“Living in Palestine, you don’t have that much luxury to put your kid in such a college,” Abuzaid said. Growing up in Ramallah, he heard good things about AUC from a friend who attended the University. Abuzaid emailed the registrar asking how to apply, but when he learned the tuition exceeded what he could afford, he let the registrar know it was out of budget. “They answered, ‘Why don't you apply for the Palestinian scholarship?’” he said.

Abuzaid was a recipient of the Taher Family Endowed Scholarship, established in 2005 by Abdulhadi Hassan Taher to support Palestinian students based on their financial need and academic merit. After learning about the scholarship, he and his friends in Ramallah applied together and were all admitted to the University. Two decades later, he says the decision changed his life. 

""AUC got me to another level,” he says, “It made me a better critical thinker and gave me all the tools I need in work, life — everything.”

Today, he is the chief financial officer of Inash Al-Usra (Family Revitalization) Association in Ramallah, Palestine. The organization began in 1965 to support economically vulnerable Palestinian women and has since grown to one of the region’s oldest charities, offering funding initiatives, professional services and social welfare programs to Palestinians.

For Abuzaid, AUC’s education helped build the interpersonal and strategic reasoning skills he relies upon to do his work. “AUC got me to another level,” he says, “It made me a better critical thinker and gave me all the tools I need in work, life — everything.”

After graduating with a degree in accounting, Abuzaid weighed a postgrad job offer to work abroad, but his father’s wishes kept him in Ramallah. “My father told me ‘You need to pay back for your home country. After that, you can travel,’” Abuzaid reflected. 

Inash Al-Usra was the place where Abuzaid could combine his skill in corporate finance with his desire to do good. “I can see the financial health of the charity organization and distribute it to the people who really need it, ” he said.

"It’s more rewarding than any money in the world."

The work is challenging — over 100,000 people receive benefits from Inash Al-Usra’s expansive programs. The nonprofit sells traditional handicrafts produced by Palestinian women, does charity, operates restaurants and orphanages, provides scholarships and serves community members across Palestine. 

Since the war in Gaza began, the organization has faced even more challenges. Abuzaid and his colleagues maintain a list of co-workers killed during the conflict. They work to feed people in refugee camps, take in orphans and support community members.

“The economic situation here is a struggle, so you have to believe it when someone enters your office and tells you ‘I haven’t eaten in a week; I need anything.’” Abuzaid said.

With its challenges, the fulfillment he gets from supporting his city and country is more than anything he could ask for. 

“It’s more rewarding than any money in the world,” Abuzaid affirmed. 

The University continues to offer numerous donor-funded, named and endowed scholarships to support Palestinian students today. Most recently, the Richard Brow and Angela Seay Palestinian Scholarship and Wasef Jabsheh '67 Palestinian Endowed Scholarships were established in 2025 to support the tuition of Palestinian students from Gaza. Learn more about scholarships at AUC.