Ala is a 23 year old student of Accounting and Business at Bethlehem University. She is a Muslim and like Yaccoub, is a student Ambassador for the University. She grew up in various towns, and describes her childhood as one of “war and displacement.” She came to Bethlehem to study Chemistry but found that was not for her. She met an inspiring teacher and professor at the Business School and he has been a major influence on her life ever since.
Given her own background, it is interesting that Ala loves ‘Grapes of Wrath’ as one of her all time favorites because of how it deals with the issues of ‘displacement and deprivation’. She loves speaking with visiting pilgrims and wants them to know the ‘real’ story of what is happening in Bethlehem. She wants to tell the world that Palestine needs to become its own nation, providing its citizens with a passport that allows them to travel freely inside and outside the country. And she wants Palestine to become economically independent.
Ala also loves coaching kid’s basketball. Ala has never been to the USA and was one of the Students I also met with at the main Bethlehem University campus. She believes that for her to develop her role as both a leader and a woman, she needs more professional and international experience that NSL is offering.
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