University graduates, women role models share their professional journey with students

As part of CARE’s campaign to highlight the stories of inspiring Palestinian women, Birzeit University’s Deanship of Student Affairs hosted its alumni Nisreen Awwad, a journalist, and Queen Masoud, a branch manager at Bank of Palestine, to speak about their professional journey as leaders and decision-makers.

CARE has launched a campaign titled “My Story…My Life Journey” as part of its larger project “Kayani,” highlighting the stories of Palestinian women to encourage their peers to be effective citizens in the Palestinian communities, take on leadership positions, and raise their voices.

In the first talk, Awwad, who was born and raised in Qalandiya Refugee Camp, told the attending students how she took steady steps to turn her passion into a job. At Birzeit University, she completed a bachelor’s degree in geography and political science and a master’s degree in international studies. Awwad currently works as a producer and TV presenter at the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).

Awwad explained that her experience at Birzeit University has positively impacted her life’s path ever since she enrolled in a bachelor’s program in 1999. She detailed her journey at the university and explained how it helped her discover her passion and turn it into a successful career.

Initially, Awwad worked as an education researcher at AM Qattan Foundation, which, she said, allowed her to read more and introduced her to diverse sciences. In 2010, she turned to radio broadcasting and joined the team at Nissa FM in Ramallah to produce talk shows and give a voice to women who seek justice and equality.

In the second speech, Masoud spoke about her journey at Bank of Palestine that started after she graduated from Birzeit University in 2009. With a bachelor’s degree in accounting and banking, she was able to embark on her career, Masoud explained. But she then decided to continue her master’s degree and obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree at Birzeit University.

At Bank of Palestine, Masoud worked her way up through managerial positions until she became the manager of the bank’s Al-Tireh branch in Ramallah.

Masoud assured the students that her success has not come easy. She had to overcome numerous challenges, including dealing with various types of clients, different managers, colleagues and the public―which requires unique skills and a calm temper, she emphasized.

Although her journey is full of successes, Queen explained, she believes that this is only the beginning as she pursues her dream of establishing her own consulting and training company.