Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) held the seventh edition of the Student Leaders Training (SLT7), a collaborative effort between the University’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers Student Chapter (ASME-NDU) and 180 Degrees Consulting Club (180). The event comprised five presentations from eight speakers in total and concluded with a trivia game.
The first talk constituted a detailed recount of Mr. Avedis Kalpaklian, Lebanese-Armenian mountaineer, mountain guide, tour leader, and owner of SPORTS 4 LIFE. A paramount achievement of Kalpaklian’s is scaling Mount Everest to its summit—the highest in the world—and the journey of which he relayed in his presentation titled, “World’s Toughest Climb: Everest.” He detailed the obstacles he encountered on his endeavor and shared the key lessons he learned that allowed him to overcome the physical and mental strain of the climb.
Mr. Tani Hanna was the second speaker, his presentation, “Racing with Ferrari,” featuring an outline of his 40-year career as a renowned figure in the casino and gaming industries across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Hanna is additionally a Ferrari Challenge Driver and owner of various Ferrari supercars, including the LaFerrari Aperta, 458 Speciale Aperta, 599 GTO, Maserati MC Stradale, and others. His talk leaned into an interview format, where ASME-NDU’s Vice Chair, Ghady Rahi, asked him a series of questions regarding his success in both business and racing. To further the interactive element of the talk, Hanna displayed two of his Ferraris—the aforementioned LaFerrari Aperta 599 GTO—to the attendees for a close-up of the cars’ unique features.
In a joint presentation titled, “Empowering your Journey,” Mr. Samir Zehil and Ms. Michele Sahakian gave their respective testimonies on their path to success in their careers. Zehil is the founder of Wydner Coaches & Associates, having specialized in Strategic Sales & Marketing at Harvard. He additionally holds a degree in Chartered Accountancy, an MBA from Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, and a PhD in life management from Hard Knocks University, a euphemism for the education one receives by way of negative experiences through the course of one’s life. Sahakian is a triple-certified coach and MBA holder from Université Paris Dauphine, with extensive experience in one-on-one coaching and personal growth topics. With a remarkable success rate, she is among the top 3% in her industry, having transformed hundreds of cases with countless individuals.
The SLT7 grouped the fourth and fifth talks under the umbrella title, “Alumni Talk,” where University alumni returned to their alma mater to provide current students with a sneak peek into their success and what to expect post-graduation.
Alumni Mr. Jad Becherawi and Ms. Nour Bou Abboud’s presentation, “Elevating Your Standards,” showcased the different challenges that are inevitable in garnering success early in one’s career, Becherawi sharing the difficulties of breaking into Lebanon’s leading fintech company, Murex, and Bou Abboud on becoming a lawyer in Lebanon’s current climate. Though the duos work in separate fields, the challenges they discussed tend to overlap in any industry. Today, Becherawi is a Quality Assurance Consultant at Murex and a contributor to Murex’s solidarity projects in healthcare and education, and Bou Abboud holds the highest score on the Lebanese bar exam.
Finally, Ms. Stephanie Nougeaim and Ms. Hanady Estephan, members of the dancing team Mayyas, spoke of their exciting adventure of how they went from a small, local dancing team to a worldwide sensation by winning America’s Got Talent.
Once the talks were done, the audience was divided into ten teams for a competitive trivia game that lasted 40 minutes. Charbel Saliba, a Mechanical Engineering student, won the competition and was awarded a $50 cash prize. Here’s to next year’s SLT!