Dream comes true for Dubai girl who had no means to study abroad

An 18-year-old Dubai student received the biggest surprise of her life recently when she was told that she had been offered a full scholarship at New York University, the college of her dreams.

An exceptionally bright student of Deira International School, Suman Ansari nurtured a dream of studying at a good university abroad but everything changed when her father was suddenly diagnosed with cancer and had to quit his job and leave the country.

The teenager almost lost all hope and had no means to even apply for universities abroad when one of her teacher counsellors supported her and got her in touch with an educational consultancy that offered to help her with the whole application process for free.

"Suman impressed me with her humility and thirst for learning. She had grit, determination and intelligence; all she needed was guidance. My father is also battling cancer, as is hers, which also compelled me to help her," said Peter Davos, director of the Hale education consultancy, which helped Suman through her application process.

Suman didn't have much time and nor was she aware of the application process for the US. She had just two weeks to give her SATs for which she had not prepared at all.

"It all seemed impossible as I was going through a rough time in my life and it was difficult to manage studies with the all the stress at home as my parents were packing up to leave and my father was dealing with his illness. But what kept me going was hope. I didn't want to give up yet," Suman told Khaleej Times.

A few days back, Suman received an email from NYU informing her that not only was she accepted at the university but also was granted a full scholarship (that comes to over ($70,000 per year).

Elysa Bryen, educational consultant at Hale, who helped Suman throughout the process, said: "One thing quite noticeable about Suman was that she didn't give up even when we were giving her assignment after assignment. She was very dedicated to the whole process and didn't take it for granted even when she knew we are providing her free service. And all her hard work eventually paid off."

Dedicating her success to the UAE, where she has lived for the last 12 years, Suman said: "The education I received here in the UAE has made me who I am today. A positive, happy and hopeful human being."

Suman said that she hopes that one day she will be able to give back to the community by teaching underprivileged kids back in her home country.

She is now looking forward to starting her college life at NYUAD where she will be heading to by the end of August to pursue a four-year undergraduate course.

Her message to all: "We should be hopeful even from a situation that might seem gloomy on the surface, so keep the faith and keep working towards your goals."

saman@khaleejtimes.com