Zeina Ghanem ’21 joined AUC to study business and minor in psychology, but a class field visit to a public hospital sparked her passion for psychology and studying the mind.

“I saw how fascinating the brain is,” Ghanem said. “How someone could be living in their own world, not in a very positive way, and then someone else could offer some help and make this person's life so much easier and better with time.”

 “If you create this safe space as a therapist, no matter the differences you have with the person in front of you, they will be willing to open up.”

Ghanem is a counseling psychologist working online and offline to provide youth and adults with support on their mental health journey.

Her passion for women’s mental health grew while pursuing her master’s in counseling psychology from the American College of Greece, where she completed a yearlong practicum at a refugee center for women in Athens. Fluency in English and Arabic helped Ghanem hold group therapy sessions with women from across the world, including many Arabic -speakers and women fleeing the war in Ukraine. She worked with women across cultural divides, translating experiences back and forth during group therapy sessions.

“This was really helpful in seeing the differences and the similarities in terms of the shared experience of being women, no matter where they're coming from or what their experience is,” Ghanem says.

Working as a counseling psychologist for women of all ages gave her growth through the stages of life and different challenges people face along the way. “Many women start seeking help when they’re in their 40s or 50s. By then, the patterns are already established and have been going on for years. So usually for them, it's a life-changing experience,” Ghanem says, attributing the late start on therapy to a lack of psychoeducation and the stigmatization of mental health when they were younger.

However, Ghanem has noticed younger women increasingly seeking mental health support, reflecting the broader global rise in awareness and acceptance of mental health care.
“I would say the most common issues that usually young girls come with are related to their identity, confidence and social pressure,” Ghanem said.

“A big part of [therapy] usually goes around helping them understand themselves, who they are, understand their bodies, how hormones could affect their behavior or their mood, and how to handle it.”

Ghanem explains that many young women often come to therapy with high-functioning anxiety, feeling the need to accomplish in many areas in their lives all at once: build a career, be in a healthy relationship and build a family, while taking care of their physical and mental health.

“In that case the anxiety is masked as ambition and of course this leaves them exhausted and burnt out,” Ghanem said.

After graduation, Ghanem took a gap year to train at public and private hospitals and clinics around Egypt exploring the clinical side of psychology. The experience helped her narrow her focus on counseling psychology and helping individuals work through their problems one on one.

"I felt like this is something that I would want to do, to have more of a personal impact on someone's life, and not necessarily be working for a corporation or like a huge entity. It doesn't have to be huge, even if it's just a one-on-one effect on a much smaller scale.”

Developing the client-therapist relationship to allow someone to express their emotions is a gradual process of creating trust and good communication. “You hear their story and give them space to open up and be comfortable,” Ghanem said. “If you create this safe space as a therapist, no matter the differences you have with the person in front of you, they will be willing to open up.”

Ghanem hopes to expand her practice of helping people through their toughest challenges, running awareness campaigns and looking for new ways to raise mental health awareness in large settings. In the meantime, she says finding mental health support is easier than you think.

“Just don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she affirmed.
 

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, celebrating women’s achievements and highlighting the ways we can work together to improve the quality of life for women and girls worldwide. Helen Rizzo, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology and the director of the Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies, sat down with News@AUC to discuss the history of this holiday and the impact it has on feminism worldwide. 

“The history of International Women’s Day is quite interesting, as it’s always been tied to women’s labor movements,” Rizzo explained. 

The first International Women’s Day took place in 1909, hosted by the Socialist Party in the United States, celebrating women’s participation in the workforce. As an arm of first-wave feminism, these early women’s days were centered around ending gender discrimination in employment as well as women’s suffrage. The day was a way to highlight the issues facing women and celebrate the achievements that had been made. By 1914, March 8, which so happened to be the Sunday that year, spread across Europe as a day for women to raise their voices and be heard. 

As time passed, International Women’s Day continued to evolve. “In the 1960s and 1970s, second-wave feminism caused a revival in celebrating March 8,” Rizzo continued. “The Women's History Center, which was an archive of the women's movement in Berkeley, went even further and established March as Women's History Month in the United States. Then, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975 to commemorate this day for women's rights and international peace. That’s when it truly became a global phenomenon.”

Having a globally focused women’s day allows for feminist scholars to engage with the transnational ways women’s issues affect each other. For gender practitioners, offering support across borders is incredibly important for gender parity worldwide. There are many ways to celebrate International Women’s Day, but a major part is analyzing how to improve the status of women globally. The United Nations declared the theme for the 2026 International Women’s Day to be ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,’ emphasizing the importance of a global perspective. 

“The UN lists the areas where women are still unequal, which includes unemployment, the wage gap as well as violence in the workplace, the home and public spaces,” Rizzo explained. “There are still all kinds of issues where we need to make progress. The UN has a statistic that it will take over 200 years to close legal protection gaps. We’re facing the same issues we faced 100 years ago, which is why this day is still important.”

"We’re facing the same issues we faced 100 years ago, which is why this day is still important.”

Highlighting the areas she believes the international community must continue to focus on, Rizzo noted, “There are many critical issues that disproportionately affect women. Gender-based violence can be devastating for many women and girls. Armed conflict and wars, combined with political violence, disproportionately harm women.” . 

With education, we’re still not there yet, Rizzo explained. “There has been a lot of improvement in women’s education. However, there are still areas, even in this region, where women face high barriers to education. We’re also seeing issues where women receive an education, but that doesn’t translate into employment or equal wages.” 

Wage inequality is prevalent across the world and still heavily impacts Egypt, Rizzo said, adding that family law is still a topic in the region that needs reform in order to reach gender equality. “Without equal rights within marriages and family relations, women are more restricted and have fewer access to protections,” she said.

While these issues might feel overwhelming, Rizzo emphasized the power we as individuals have to make a difference. “Spreading information and performing research as a University is a critical step in helping women and girls,” she affirmed. “Having a public reminder to everyone that we still need to work on issues of inequality and discrimination is essential. It’s important to provide evidence that inequality is still there. The research we do at AUC can work in tandem with NGOs, social movements and international organizations that can translate into policy recommendations and social change.”

“Spreading information and performing research as a University is a critical step in helping women and girls."

In addition, Rizzo expressed that both men and women are critical parts of achieving gender equality. Men too are hurt by the standards set up by the patriarchy: They’re not encouraged to express a range of emotions, there is less room for them to explore “feminine” fields and they are often placed into societal boxes. While International Women’s Day focuses on women, achieving gender parity helps people of all sexes. “It’s critical to have men as allies in feminist spaces,” Rizzo stated. “Gender equality does not merely mean rights for women. It means equality overall, and that includes men.”

Looking toward the future of gender equality, Rizzo believes it's essential to have as many gender practitioners as possible. An engaged, active look into gender equality is now more important than ever before. There are growing attacks on academic freedom in the Global North, and funding toward women’s studies has been severely cut and departments and programs have been shut down in places like the United States, she stated. 

“I went to a workshop in Morocco last year where they invited the directors of gender and women’s studies centers from across the Middle East and North Africa region. The goal was to try to map academic departments, research centers and NGOs focused on women’s rights across the region to form a support network,” Rizzo shared. 

"Global gender equality must be based in all parts of the world, and there is plenty of action we can take from the Middle East."

The workshop was funded by the United Nations and the women’s section of the Arab League, and will lead to an official UN report. “Given what’s happening to gender studies programs in the United States, it’s time for our region to step up,” Rizzo concluded. “Global gender equality must be based in all parts of the world, and there is plenty of action we can take from the Middle East. International Women’s Day is a time where we can appreciate the action that’s been made and figure out how moving forward will benefit as many women as possible.”

Master’s students in the Governance and Development course immersed themselves in real-world governance during a field visit to the Badrashin district in the Giza countryside, witnessing firsthand how community-driven efforts advance sustainable agriculture and tourism. 

“A field visit to a model farm in Badrashin helped me form a clear vision about the concept of governance and how to effectively apply it, which reinforced the principle that good governance is the way to sustainable development and building a better future,” said Noha Ragab, a public policy and administration student in the class.

Designed as an experiential learning course, students explored topics including good governance, public sector innovation in the age of AI, poverty alleviation, decentralization, climate change and barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. They combined classroom learning with interactive, hands-on activities, such as analyzing a COVID-19 vaccine equity article, conducting a group case study on employment services, participating in guest lectures by international scholars, organizing a roundtable and visiting Dahshur, Badrashin to observe a co-governance initiative in sustainable agriculture and tourism implemented by the Dashur Tourism Development Association in support of the Greenish Foundation. 

“The class was so engaging that all of us were motivated to join [this] completely optional field trip all the way out to Dahshur in the Giza countryside,” said Mohammad Badawi, another public policy and administration student in the course. “Stepping out of the classroom to interact with professionals applying these exact concepts in real life was incredible.”

Shahjahan Bhuiyan, professor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration and course instructor, explained the purpose of the visit. “It closely complemented the case study developed by students on co-production, allowing them to see theory translated into practice,” he said. 

The course also featured several distinguished guest speakers. Faculty from Carleton University in Canada, New York University in the United States and the University of Cambridge in England delivered lectures on topics such as public sector innovation, urban governance, as well as decentralization and climate change. “Getting to interact with active professionals and world-recognized experts and hear such rich, on-the-ground information made the complex material really click,” said Badawi.

"This course was able to foster deep discussions about key issues and definitions in governance and development," shared Christiane Khouzam, who took the course as well. "It sparked conversations not only within the classroom but also with leaders and practitioners in the sector. Additionally, despite being a short semester, the course was able to hold a diverse pool of learning models. Dr. Shahjahan incorporated a roundtable discussion, site visit, research papers, and dynamic class debates. This diversity of formats kept the sessions engaging and allowed us to approach governance and development from multiple perspectives."

Students also organized a roundtable on the governance and development paradox, with faculty from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh and professionals from the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development in Egypt providing practical insights and responding to student questions. Reflecting on both the conceptual frameworks and hands-on experiences, students learned that governance and development are mutually reinforcing forces and effective governance fosters sustainable development– contributing to the broader advancement of the human condition.

"Through a range of carefully designed exercises, this course equipped students with the knowledge and skills to concisely connect personal insights with academic concepts in analyzing real-life problems,” Bhuiyan noted. “Students engaged in practical case study analysis and, through a field visit, examined how theory and practice often diverge in everyday contexts. Altogether, these components enriched their practical understanding and strengthened competencies essential for both their personal development and professional careers."

AUC is home to students from around the world, many of whom celebrate Ramadan with traditions different from what is typical in Egypt. International students at AUC shared what their traditions look like at home and how they’re spending Ramadan here in Egypt. 

Mustafa from Sudan

I am an electronics and communications engineering sophomore, originally from Sudan. In Sudan, people are far less active than in Egypt during Ramadan. They are very relaxed and spend lots of quality time with family, generally opting not to go out. Schools typically close during Ramadan, so it’s extra easy to stay home and spend time with friends and family. Of course, I also love to eat Sudanese dishes during Ramadan. I love molah tagila, a type of soup; dakoa salad, a green salad with peanut butter; roub salad, a salad made of yogurt with cucumbers; agashi, spicy charcoal meat; and abree, a sweet and sour drink made of sorghum. This year, I am looking forward to joining a Ramadan football league, one of my favorite traditions in Sudan. 

Ahmed from Syria

I am a first-year public administration master’s student, originally from Syria. Ramadan in Syria isn’t too different from Egypt, but there are various foods and traditions I’m used to. I spend a lot of time with my community during Ramadan, volunteering in service activities such as cleaning mosques and feeding those in need. I love hearing the iftar cannon go off, which means it’s time to eat my favorite food — labaniyeh, a Syrian yogurt-based dish. Here in Egypt, I go to the Syrian store to get all the ingredients to break my fast. It’s challenging to get all the ingredients to make the foods from home, but after a long day of fasting, it’s worth it.

Nadine from the United States

I am a half Egyptian, half Palestinian electrical engineering student on a year abroad from the University of California Merced. In the United States, I have a large iftar on the first day of Ramadan, when all my family comes together to celebrate. Ramadan in the United States doesn’t mean a lot of change to the schedule, and in fact, a lot of people don’t even know it’s Ramadan. Now in Egypt, I am enjoying the Ramadan decorations and am excited to eat my favorite Ramadan food: rice pudding.

Jena from the United States

I am a Libyan-American biology freshman from Wisconsin. For me, the first day of Ramadan is the most significant. In the United States, I’d take it off school and cook all the traditional foods with my family. There isn’t a big Muslim community in my area, so it’s really important to spend time with my family. The mosque near me hosts lots of community-service events, which is nice. It’s a bit difficult to fast at school, where there are less accommodations than in Egypt. Fasting could be difficult during lunch periods, but the Muslim Student Association at my school made sure there was an area set aside for us. And it was all worth it to break my fast at the end of the day with my favorite Libyan dish, aseeda. I’m excited to get celebrate with a big community here in Egypt, and have a schedule that reflects Ramadan. 

Rahil from India

I am a history and political science junior from India. Ramadan in Egypt looks rather different from Kashmir, where I’m originally from. Here, there are lots of lanterns, whereas I’m used to decorating with lights, flowers and garlands. There are lots of unique Ramadan traditions in Kashmir. At sunset, people distribute babri treysh (basil seeds soaked in water with sugar and milk), dates and cut-up fruits to people on the street. My favorite Ramadan food is kashmiri phirni, a sweet dish made with semolina and milk. My favorite tradition is a man called Sahar Khan. He goes around to neighbourhoods, playing his drum and screaming at the top of his voice that it is sahar (sohour - pre-dawn meal) time. Ever since I was very young, this has been a very entertaining and precious aspect of Ramadan for me. 

For the banks of the Rhine to the Nile’s corniche, students have crossed borders to discuss border crossings. University of Cologne students spent the final week of their winter course alongside AUC students, studying migration within the Global South. 

The Dialogue on Migration Governance in the Euro-Mediterranean (DiaMiGo), now in its third year, has brought Egyptian students to Germany and German students to Egypt, allowing them to discuss the transitory nature of migration across the Mediterranean. With migration rooted across the world, students analyzed Egypt as a gateway, a hub and a home. 

“The experience was impactful for not just the students visiting from Cologne, but also the AUC students who came from not just a CMRS [Center for Migration and Refugee Studies] program, but multiple different programs,” shared Emma Stotlemyer, CMRS graduate student and research assistant.  Stotlemyer coordinated DiaMiGo’s winter session alongside fellow research assistant Alaa Kasmo and Fatima Salah, Reem Adel and Hiba A.aseem M.Sharif. “We're able to bring their expertise, perspectives and experience to the program, and they were able to learn a lot more about refugees in Cairo.”

DiaMiGo encouraged participants to focus on integration in the everyday — dissecting Egypt’s role as host and transit hub for migrants, as well as the intersection of heritage, labor, health, activism and local governance on integration. 

Students attended lectures at AUC Tahrir Square, led by CMRS and SEA faculty Amira Ahmed and Gerda Heck, discussing the Egyptian social context, the role of media, culinary connections to migration and musical heritage. Dialogue encouraged participants to analyze what makes a place a home, and how they can expand these lessons into place-making for migrants and refugees. 

“The DiaMiGo Winter School was a truly enriching experience for our AUC scholars and students, as well as for the students from University of Cologne,” shared Ahmed, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology. “It created a dynamic and engaging environment where participants could delve into the key issues affecting migrants and refugees in both Egypt and Germany.”

While the lectures were an important facet of the winter school, what was perhaps more impactful was the dialogue between the German and Egyptian students as well as the refugee fellows who participated. Ahmed added, “One of the highlights of the school was the incredible diversity of backgrounds and experiences, thanks to the refugee fellowships, which offered a unique opportunity for refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Somalia and Eritrea to present their perspectives and insights.”

One CMRS student, Rya Hammuod Hamuod Alhosin, described how important it has been for her to share her migrant background in an academic setting. “Writing my thesis on my experience as a Syrian refugee put me on a journey to find my own voice,” she said. Participants in DiaMiGo uncovered the ways that centering migrant history, culture and heritage in integration can be both successful and empowering. 

Narratives around migration often revolve around the Global North. Engaging in migration dialogues while being based in the Global South helped reframe the field for students and decolonize migration perspectives. “Egypt is one of the most important actors in the region to understand global migration routes,” shared Hannah Walsken, a student from the University of Cologne. “Talking to students and refugees in Egypt gives an important perspective. It’s not theory alone, but also the everyday lives of people.”

The variety of perspectives from refugees based in Cairo displayed how important the Egyptian context is as a case study for global migration. The refugee fellows got to share their stories with both AUCians and German students, lending their perspectives and humanizing otherwise abstract concepts. 

“It was impactful because the narratives around integration often focus on how refugees can change themselves in order to fit into a community or society,” said Stotlemyer. “Speaking with the refugee fellows and scholars allowed us to see how refugees are continuing to integrate within their new society in a way that involves their skills, talents, experiences, traditions, customs, food, language, dialects — how they make a place for themselves.”

Partnerships like DiaMiGo lend perspectives between the Global South and Global North, which is essential in an inherently international field like migration studies. Egyptian and German students will continue building global conversations when they meet up for DiaMiGo III this summer in Cologne. Until then, they will continue unpacking the important lessons they learned from engaging in dialogue with one another.

“Being able to unpack and learn how refugees engage in place-making in Cairo is incredibly important for migration studies, for refugee studies and for anybody who engages with any sort of migrant and refugee population — so that we can continue to de-center the narratives of the Global North and re-center narratives coming from the Global South and the refugee community. This allows refugees to create those narratives themselves,” affirmed Stotlemyer.

A total of 42 student organizations as well as members of the First-Year Experience program assembled 6,000 food packs on campus in an initiative organized by the Office of Student Life. This year’s collaboration created almost double the number of food packs from last year.

United by a desire to do good, a human conveyor belt of students assembled pasta, rice, oil and lentils into bags to be distributed to families in need in Heliopolis. “I personally came because I wanted to give back to the community,” said psychology senior Mariam Elbatran, a member of the Political Science Students Association.

Rawan Sherif is a junior studying electronics and communications engineering at the University, and serves as the vice president of Resala AUC. She has attended every Ramadan packing event for three years in a row and has helped distribute the packs in Heliopolis. The act of giving is what keeps her coming back. “Seeing the happiness on people’s faces and seeing how they truly live is really touching. I think this is one of the things that keep me going to be honest.”

After the packing, students joined President Ahmad Dallal and Dean of Students Yorgun Marcel for a community iftar in the AUC amphitheater. The Musicana student organization performed Ramadan songs and created a festive atmosphere.

Help came from all corners of the AUC community. Pilar Jordan, a junior studying abroad from Wayne State University in Michigan, came to Ramadan packing to support the community she has found in Egypt. “I decided to join because there are so many people outside of compounds and this community that don’t have the resources to get what they need. So as long as I’m able to walk, I’m able to give back.”

Ramadan packing has been a longstanding tradition at AUC. Sophomore Salma Hagras, vice president of the Help Club, attended her first Ramadan packing last year, and the event’s combination of good energy and community service brought her back.

“Even last year, I brought my sister. She’s out of University but came to help. I really love how people gather to do khayr (good),” Hagras said.

As many members of the student body were fasting while packing, mechanical engineering senior Karim Elzahby felt positive energy through the shared experience. 

“The community here is really connected. We have an intrinsic bond we didn’t know existed between us, and it's coming out all here.”

It was also a great opportunity to put Elzahby gym gains to use. “It’s really great using all the power I’ve been gathering in the gym, channeling it here feels like I’m benefitting people. There’s a greater good.”

Recent alumni of the Department for Journalism and Mass Communications and Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism Center were recognized for their achievements in student media at the in the 2026 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts Competition.

The 2026 winners were selected from an international pool of 2,250 entries, representing over 300 colleges and universities, with the student competitions featuring an overall acceptance rate of 20%. 

For the second year in a row, AUCTV received an honorable mention at BEA's Dr. Marjorie Yambor Signature Station Competition. Awardees will be celebrated in Las Vegas this April at BEA2026.  

Students in audio courses taught by Professor of Practice Kim Fox have built a strong track record of winning in BEA competitions, contributing to AUC’s 12th place position in the 2025 BEA School Rankings for Audio and 18th place ranking in the News category. This year, two awardees were recognized for undergraduate audio projects produced in Fox's classes and received top honors in their categories.

Read more about the awardees below.

Student Radio News Feature:

Ouahiba Ait Elhaj Mhand ’25, Multimedia Communication and Journalism 

3rd place:  Permission to Leave: Christian Divorce in Egypt

Student Audio Narrative: 

 Judi Yassin ’25, Multimedia Communication and Journalism 

Award of Excellence: Podcast Promo-21st Philosophy

Graduate Sports Category :

Yasmin Nabil '25, Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism

2nd place, "Egypt Breathes Football"

Graduate Student Documentary:

 Nour Wael '25, Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism

3rd place: "The Nubian Code"

Bianca Carrera Espriu '25, Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism

 Award of Excellence: "The Artist of the People"