Pictured above with one of her professors, Ain Shams University senior, Eliane Elias Gerges Elias, enjoyed her time as part of the Center of Excellence for Energy exchange program and learned so much.
“I feel like I grew as a person from the whole experience,” she says.
The 21-year-old energy and renewable energy student was thrilled about the chance to interact with people from various countries and learn new teaching methods in the United States. She commends the College of Engineering and Energy at Ain Shams University for giving students beneficial opportunities, such as the exchange program with Arizona State University. “The Center or Excellence for Energy is a great addition for energy students at Ain Shams University,” she remarked. She believes the center’s goal to increase higher education capacity at Egyptian partner universities will help Egypt become more competitive in renewable energy and build awareness of sustainability issues.
Eliane finished her semester at Arizona State University in May 2023.
She says, “The whole experience was out of this world. Not just the courses, but the professors were amazing.”
She enjoyed her photo voltaic class the most because it wasn’t just exams but there was flexibility in the content and the way it was presented, and the professor was very supportive. She thought the energy transition course was eye opening stating that “it was more thinking out of the box to get new solutions for energy problems.”
In terms of her future goals, Eliane wants to use her training and skills to promote sustainability in Egypt.
“I think Egypt has become more directed towards sustainability which is great. And I hope to help raise more awareness and be part of Egypt’s sustainability vision through what I learned on exchange,” she says.
She thanks the Center of Excellence for Energy and USAID for giving her the chance to participate in the program and says she intends to use her experience to increase her expertise and to help advance sustainability.