Rawan Alsaddig was baking cookies when her neighborhood in Khartoum was bombed on Eid Al-Fitr in 2023.

“It felt like an earthquake,” she recalls. “We were being bombed, but I didn’t know from where.”

The eldest of eight, Alsaddig watched over her younger siblings as the bombardment lasted more than four hours. She called relatives abroad to say goodbye, unsure if she would survive. When the bombing stopped, she couldn’t speak for a day. Her family packed what they could carry and fled.

Nearly three years later, Alsaddig now lives in Cairo, pursuing a Master of Global Public Health at AUC, where survival turned into direction. “After that night, it was a blessing seeing my family again,” she says.

There is little written about Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s 1959 trip to Egypt. Not only did the civil rights leaders travel to Cairo, but they visited AUC to reunite with one of King’s oldest friends, James Beshai ’47, who served as a psychology instructor at AUC in the 1950s.

Their correspondence is preserved in AUC’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library and AUC: 100 Years, 100 Stories by Andrew Humphreys, tracing a friendship shaped by faith, race and global politics.

"For the many who were lucky as I was to be his friend and classmate, he is the most unforgettable man in my life.” 

On a campus where routines repeat and faces become familiar fast, twins live in a constant state of mistaken identity. Lecture halls, hallways, cafés — AUC’s shared spaces become a stage for double takes, awkward waves and conversations that begin mid-sentence with the wrong person. For twins, being mixed up isn’t occasional; it’s part of daily life.

Celebrating the launch of the paperback edition of A Surgeon and a Maverick: The Life and Pioneering Work of Magdi Yacoub, AUC Press hosted a conversation between world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub and Ahmed Elghandour ’16, host of the hit YouTube series, Da7ee7. Based on an exclusive interview with AUCToday as well as insights shared during the discussion, Yacoub reflects on medicine, ethics, science and philanthropy.

How do you see the role of education in shaping not just skilled professionals, but compassionate, socially responsible individuals?

I am very optimistic because I see a lot of talent in young people. They have the right ideas, but it is absolutely essential to give them opportunities to develop and understand what the important things in life are – the real values. Education gives them a chance not only to discover their own talents — because each one has a talent — but also to talk about values, which seem to have shifted in general. People focus on making money and often miss the point: the real value of serving the community.

People focus on making money and often miss the point: the real value of serving the community.

What made you decide to publish a book?

My daughter and others wanted me to publish a book, but I initially refused to write my life story. I don’t think I’m special; I’m just performing my job. If I can do it, anybody can. I was eventually convinced because people said, “You owe it to the young generation.” A Surgeon and a Maverick was written by professional journalists, Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman, from The Times newspaper in London. What attracted me to them was that they saw the human aspect of life. 

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you outside of medicine?

I enjoy farming and gardening, and particularly like growing plants, flowers, orchids and oranges. I also believe the arts are extremely important for science and medicine; research shows that people who study music or painting perform better in their work. I love listening to classical music and going to the opera.

Will AI replace doctors?

Absolutely not. AI answers questions, but humans must ask the right questions. If you ask the wrong question and get the right answer, it is a disaster. The human brain is very intricate, so you must know what you are after. Artificial intelligence can do a lot through imaging, localizing things tremendously accurately, but it is a tool and not a replacement for our brains, which are still superior.

Artificial intelligence can do a lot ... but it is a tool and not a replacement for our brains, which are still superior.

If you could send one message from the heart to young people reading your story, what would it be?

PPH: passion, persistence and humility. Find your passion and pursue it with continuity and persistence. Don’t ask everyone what to do. Be humble.

On a lush street in Maadi, Seneca Forch enters a silver shop to buy a cane. The store’s shelves shine, but a hip-height wooden rod with an embossed silver topper catches his eye. When I asked him “Why the cane?” he replied, “I have events to go to.”

Forch, indeed, has events to go to. The sharp-dressed master’s student from Columbia University, who is studying abroad at AUC for a semester, has worked with ministers as a policy adviser at the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations and as a community relations officer at the Consulate General of Jamaica.

On his path to a career in foreign affairs, Forch decided to study abroad at AUC to explore non-Western perspectives on diplomacy. He says classes taught by former diplomats expanded his understanding of different political systems.

When economics major Seif El Rashidi ’95, ’99 found himself in a class on modern and contemporary architecture through AUC’s liberal arts education, he had no idea his career trajectory would be changing forever. His passion for the history of architecture was ignited, and although he completed his bachelor’s degree in economics, he went on to pursue his master’s in the field of Islamic art and architecture. Today, he serves as the director of the Barakat Trust, a UK-based charity working to preserve cultural heritage from the Islamic world across the globe.

“I was intrigued by art history, especially the idea of tradition and how it evolves,” El Rashidi elaborated on his pathway into the field of cultural preservation. “It was a way of thinking about my own identity through the lens of architecture. Living in England, I’m still very tied to my Egyptian heritage, and it informs much of my work.”

“Our mission is to build the capacity of people with links to the heritage of the Islamic world — to preserve and understand it, and to raise awareness of its importance.”

The Barakat Trust is a grant-giving organization that funds projects to protect, promote and study the art, architecture and heritage of the Islamic world. The organization provides scholarships and conservation grants, as well as offers heritage-based consultancy through its network of experts. “We’re concerned with the Islamic world at large, more than just the Middle East,” he stated.

El Rashidi has worked with everything from the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art in Honolulu to the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah.

“Our mission is to build the capacity of people with links to the heritage of the Islamic world — to preserve and understand it, and to raise awareness of its importance,” El Rashidi explained. “We provide funding to promote education, create the next generation of preservation experts and ensure equity across developing and established organizations alike.” 

El Rashidi reflected on how important it was for him as a young man to have opportunities to work on heritage preservation projects. He worked on the archives of Hassan Fathy at AUC and helped Professor Bernard O’Kane on a project focused on documenting inscriptions in Cairo’s monuments.

Studying in Cairo also had a profound effect on El Rashidi, showing him the ways work in the field can produce meaningful outcomes. “At AUC, the city of Cairo was right outside my door. It was incredible, getting to see the material culture I was studying and meeting people with passion and personal anecdotes about architecture.” He joked, “If it weren’t for these opportunities, I might still be somewhere working in economics.”

Nonetheless, his economic background has come in handy. As the director of the Barakat Trust, having an understanding of business has been incredibly helpful. “I learned all about managing a team while letting colleagues shine and be creative in their own ways. That’s my favorite part of the job: inspiring creativity and finding out-of- the-box solutions.”

El Rashidi also credits his Egyptian background for helping him navigate the international community. “Being from Egypt makes me resourceful and able to find ways to overcome obstacles,” he shared. “It also gives me an understanding of different government organizations and NGOs operating internationally. I’m able to empathize with many of the obstacles that my colleagues in more challenging environments face. In my role, it’s essential that I understand what it’s like promoting heritage preservation in all contexts.”

El Rashidi hopes AUCians living both in Egypt and abroad will continue to be curious about heritage preservation and the ways to care for culture in a world obsessed with globalization. “Knowledge is important for heritage preservation,” he explained. “Keep being curious and investing in your community. Buy crafts from local artisans, and visit places that are culturally significant. Take random classes on architecture, just like I did. History is a part of everyone’s identity. The best thing you can do for heritage preservation is to understand your own background and traditions, and how they connect to the world around you.”

Could a robot have painted the Mona Lisa? Will AI ever be the next Van Gogh? Brenda Segone is asking these very questions as she analyzes what it means for a machine learning model to “create” art.

Many students believe they must have their career path fully mapped out before graduating — but does it have to be? Maha El Moslemany ’03, senior director of AUC’s Career Center, challenges the idea that students must have a fixed path before graduation and offers guidance for navigating the twists and turns of today’s job market.

Misconception: Students need a fixed career plan before finishing university.

Fact: Careers are no longer linear. In today’s dynamic job market, graduates may pivot multiple times. Statistics suggest people change roles three to seven times across their careers. A student’s major doesn’t dictate their path; what matters most are the knowledge and skills they gain and how they communicate them professionally.

A student’s major doesn’t dictate their path; what matters most are the knowledge and skills they gain and how they communicate them professionally.

Misconception: Focusing on one career goal means you can’t explore other options.

Fact: Career exploration and experiential learning are essential through job shadowing, campus events like Career Circles or employer information sessions and early externships. Internships, volunteering, competitions and co-ops help students clarify what they don’t want, narrow their options and focus on two or three concrete career paths.

Misconception: Technical skills alone make students employable.

Fact: Across industries, human skills are just as important as tech and digital literacy. Emotional intelligence, professionalism, leadership, teamwork, communication, critical thinking and career self-management are constantly in demand, giving students the adaptability and resilience to succeed across roles, sectors and transitions.

Across industries, human skills are just as important as tech and digital literacy.

Misconception: Universities can’t prepare students for careers unless they know exactly what they want.

Fact: Students can start exploring careers from day one. Universities can prioritize career and world readiness, embedding them inside and outside the classroom through early self-assessment, field exposure, labor market insights, reflective assignments, structured internships and networking. This allows students to test options without pressure to have all the answers.