Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) Mechanical Engineering students at the Faculty of Engineering (FE) Sandy Karam and teammate Sasha Aouad were recipients of the prestigious ‘Charles T. Main Leadership Award.’ Two bronze medals, out of only 10 medals distributed worldwide, went to them.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) confers this limited number of awards to undergraduate students (selected from more than 151 countries) who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and service qualities. All ASME members are eligible to apply or nominate a fellow active student for the award.
Aouad said, “Being at NDU gave me the opportunity to become more receptive to new information and experiences, and this environment encouraged me to join several clubs on campus. It also motivated me to work more on myself, to gain confidence and grow, and to develop the necessary skills needed to pursue anything I set my mind on.”
Karam was selected from a pool of applications from students around the world who applied to the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through the U.S. various embassies in each country. The exchange program will allow her to pursue her courses at the renowned Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY. One hundred and seventy students from Lebanon applied online to the program. Following the shortlisting process, only a handful were selected and invited for an interview, and then asked to sit for a TOEFL iBT exam a week later. Karam passed with flying colors and will be traveling to the U.S. on January 14, 2018, and returning on May 14, 2018.
Karam said, “Following my Global UGRAD acceptance, NDU supported me greatly by helping me prepare. I'm thankful for that. I look forward to showing what NDUers are capable of. I'm really looking forward to that experience, living every second of it to the fullest, sharing my culture, and learning about new ones.”