Fadi, Syria

In 2019, I received the Middle-East Partnership Initiative – Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship to study Psychology and Business Administration at the American University of Beirut. During my studies, I joined countless initiatives and leadership trainings and got engaged in many activities that build on my in-class education and serve the community. Most notably I was a panelist at the Civic Engagement futures group at the Next Generation Leaders Conference. An initiative by the Talloires Network to join a diverse group of students from around the word to tackle pressing issues. In this conference, my group proposed that to understand civic engagement of academic institutions we need to ask not just the question of “what are universities good at?” but “what are they good for?” I believe as an HEC student and as an ambassador of Business and Peace I will continue to reflect on this question and generalize it to all organizations. Coming from war-torn Syria, I understand the importance of instilling values of tolerance, peace, and mutual respect in each institution’s mission and vision. This is important because we need to see organizations as organisms that act and interact with their environment and create a balanced ecosystem. The goal is to improve this ecosystem and direct it in service of humanity and sustain this during global challenges and growing local needs.

At HEC Paris, I intend to first establish an international student network that welcomes individuals from war-torn countries, and underprivileged backgrounds to provide them with trainings, talks, and an environment that draws on the long-standing business experience of HEC Paris and shares it with those who need it the most. This will nurture an entrepreneurial mindset and provide the tools needed for this community’s members to fulfill their potential and create change within their communities thus reverberating the values of peace by allowing those who are most familiar with their community’s needs to be equipped to create solutions to fulfill these needs.