Hader Serour, 3rd Year Civil Engineering
Hader Serour is originally from Egypt. She went to secondary school in Moate Community College and came to DIT on the Access Programme. Hader left Egypt in primary school, leaving her friends and her culture behind. She found it difficult to settle into school in Ireland but now she looks back and thinks ‘I’m glad my parents moved here, if I was still in Egypt I wouldn’t be as open minded’.
Hader now lives in a small studio apartment in Dublin with a friend. She works part-time to ensure she can afford to live in Dublin and get the most from here time at DIT. Last year Hader was awarded a Fulbright award and spent 5 weeks at the University of Oregon with students from 21 other European Universities. Her role as a student leader on the access programme helped her greatly with her application:
“I didn’t know how important the leadership experience was before Fulbright.”
She is inspired and excited following her time in the US and is looking for the future in a different way.
“it changed a lot in me….the more your travel the more you learn about yourself”
She is now sitting on the US Youth Council in Ireland.
“I was always going to go for civil, it was the perfect pick…I love the lectures, I love DIT ……I feel I would not have got the same experience elsewhere.”
Despite being “terrified” on her first day at DIT Hader looks back at the Access Orientation week and realises the importance of that programme in helping her to settle in to DIT. Hader now wants to ‘take every opportunity out there, I don’t want to waste my years’.
Please help us support students like Hader and make a donation to the Access Fund today here.
