Support Nadine's Master's in Food Technology
Donation protected
Update:
After all the amazing support I got from you guys through donating and interacting with my posts, we were able to reach 50% of our goal, which secures at least one year of my master's program. So here I am, in Belgium it's quite amazing!!
I wanted to take a moment to update this and to truly thank you for all your support. I would not be here without you and your generosity.
Please keep sharing, if you are able, to continue supporting me in reaching my goal.
----------------------------------------------------
Edit: Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far. If this works, I promise to pay it forward. Once the crisis clears up a little and I regain access to my bank account, I plan on allocating an amount every month to help people who like me now, are struggling to pay off their tuitions.
----------------------------------------------------
Hello and thank you for considering my case and taking the time to read about it, here’s my story:
I started my undergraduate studies in 2013 as an ambitious Nutrition and Food Science double major student. I instantly fell in love with Food Science, which is why studying it came naturally to me. I ended up graduating at the top of my cohort in 2017. Aside from academics, I was a very active member of my university community through being part of on-campus clubs and societies, participating in student elections, and being part of the university student representative body.
Since then I have had my mind set on pursuing a higher degree. My main purpose is to be a valuable member of the industry and the Food Science community. However, before pursuing my Master’s degree, I initially had planned to gather some experience relevant to the field and save up some money. Hence:
- I first joined a 9-months dietetic internship right after graduating.
- Afterwards, I did some free-lancing in Food Safety.
- I then joined one of the leading Food Safety companies in the Middle East as a Food Safety Consultant and am still practicing till this day.
Along the years I was able to save up a fair amount of money in my bank account (إلّي بيعرف بيعرف). If you’re Lebanese, you know where this is going. If you’re not, let me walk you through it:
Lebanon has been suffering from the worst economic crisis it has ever witnessed starting October 2019. Our currency’s value against the USD has drastically decreased and lost over 80 to 90% of its worth ($1 was worth 1,500 LBP before October 2019 and is worth 12,600 LBP today) and is still devaluing day by day. This has caused our savings as citizens to become not only completely worthless but also inaccessible since banks have:
- Denied their clients access to their foreign currency savings.
- Limited their access to even local currency accounts.
- Stopped their international transactions.
Consequently, prices skyrocketed, the middle-class sector dissolved, and the gap between the poor and the rich became much bigger. Our salaries, however, remain unchanged with no compensation whatsoever, leaving our buying power almost negligible and making it impossible to save up. What makes the situation dire is that, up till this moment, the Lebanese government has not taken any steps and has shown absolutely no plan to salvage the situation or compensate for its citizens in any way.
To top it all off, in August 2020 our country was struck by one of the biggest explosions to ever occur, leaving our homes, streets, schools, hospitals, and shops in wrecks and taking away whatever was left of the businesses in Beirut. This heavily contributed to the hyperinflation and had a detrimental effect once again on our currency’s worth.
Given that all my savings have become worthless and inaccessible, my hopes of achieving a higher education took a strong hit. Yet, I refuse to accept that my dreams of a higher education have been thwarted by the incompetence of our government. So, I decided to go through with my plan, insisting on finding a way to make this possible with the support of my peers, friends and family who have encouraged me and empowered me to take this step outside my comfort zone.
Luckily, I was able to find a suitable program with an outstanding rank yet affordable tuition at KU Leuven in Belgium:
- The program is two years long, with each academic year costing around 1,000 Euros.
- The average living cost in Leuven as a student is about 800 Euros a month (including rent).
This amounts to around €20,000 (approx. $25,000) in total for both years.
I have been trying to save up money from my current job through exchanging what I gain in Lebanese pounds to USD. With the current unstable currency, my salary amounts to as low as a $150/month. Removing my daily expenses from this amount leaves me with barely $70/month to save up for my master’s plan. This alone, obviously, is not sufficient to pay off the mentioned amount, which is why I need your support. I also plan to be working in parallel with my studies at KU Leuven, to ensure I cover all my expenses, as the GoFundMe serves as a partial funding of my education.
Cost Breakdown (In Euros):
- Food/Month: €300
- Rent /Month: €400 --> €600 (This cost has increased since it was the only room available in Gent. Working to find cheaper accommodations in Leuven).
- Insurance: €25
- Bike Rental/Year: €70
- Study Material: €400
Total for 2 year Program: = €19,365 (~$25,000)
The amount has been updated to reflect $15,000 in an effort to attain our goal for this campaign.
Living Costs in Belgium
Studying Costs in Belgium
THIS FUNDRAISER IS ORGANIZED BY RALPH SARKIS [Jersey City, NJ] & MARIA KHALIL [San Diego, CA] ON BEHALF OF NADINE HARB [Beirut, Lebanon]
This is Mango, he says hi!
Doing what I love the most: spreading food safety awareness
Food processing lab from my time as a food science undergraduate
On-campus involvement and some beautiful people I met along the way
Helping out on the ground after the August 4th Beirut Explosion: clearing debris and glass from streets/shops, distributing water and food to volunteers
Advocating for a better Lebanon and actively taking part in the October 17 Lebanese revolution
Citizens expressing anger and frustration at banks for seizing and freezing their savings
Citizens expressing anger and frustration at banks for seizing and freezing their savings
After all the amazing support I got from you guys through donating and interacting with my posts, we were able to reach 50% of our goal, which secures at least one year of my master's program. So here I am, in Belgium it's quite amazing!!
I wanted to take a moment to update this and to truly thank you for all your support. I would not be here without you and your generosity.
Please keep sharing, if you are able, to continue supporting me in reaching my goal.
----------------------------------------------------
Edit: Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far. If this works, I promise to pay it forward. Once the crisis clears up a little and I regain access to my bank account, I plan on allocating an amount every month to help people who like me now, are struggling to pay off their tuitions.
----------------------------------------------------
Hello and thank you for considering my case and taking the time to read about it, here’s my story:
I started my undergraduate studies in 2013 as an ambitious Nutrition and Food Science double major student. I instantly fell in love with Food Science, which is why studying it came naturally to me. I ended up graduating at the top of my cohort in 2017. Aside from academics, I was a very active member of my university community through being part of on-campus clubs and societies, participating in student elections, and being part of the university student representative body.
Since then I have had my mind set on pursuing a higher degree. My main purpose is to be a valuable member of the industry and the Food Science community. However, before pursuing my Master’s degree, I initially had planned to gather some experience relevant to the field and save up some money. Hence:
- I first joined a 9-months dietetic internship right after graduating.
- Afterwards, I did some free-lancing in Food Safety.
- I then joined one of the leading Food Safety companies in the Middle East as a Food Safety Consultant and am still practicing till this day.
Along the years I was able to save up a fair amount of money in my bank account (إلّي بيعرف بيعرف). If you’re Lebanese, you know where this is going. If you’re not, let me walk you through it:
Lebanon has been suffering from the worst economic crisis it has ever witnessed starting October 2019. Our currency’s value against the USD has drastically decreased and lost over 80 to 90% of its worth ($1 was worth 1,500 LBP before October 2019 and is worth 12,600 LBP today) and is still devaluing day by day. This has caused our savings as citizens to become not only completely worthless but also inaccessible since banks have:
- Denied their clients access to their foreign currency savings.
- Limited their access to even local currency accounts.
- Stopped their international transactions.
Consequently, prices skyrocketed, the middle-class sector dissolved, and the gap between the poor and the rich became much bigger. Our salaries, however, remain unchanged with no compensation whatsoever, leaving our buying power almost negligible and making it impossible to save up. What makes the situation dire is that, up till this moment, the Lebanese government has not taken any steps and has shown absolutely no plan to salvage the situation or compensate for its citizens in any way.
To top it all off, in August 2020 our country was struck by one of the biggest explosions to ever occur, leaving our homes, streets, schools, hospitals, and shops in wrecks and taking away whatever was left of the businesses in Beirut. This heavily contributed to the hyperinflation and had a detrimental effect once again on our currency’s worth.
Given that all my savings have become worthless and inaccessible, my hopes of achieving a higher education took a strong hit. Yet, I refuse to accept that my dreams of a higher education have been thwarted by the incompetence of our government. So, I decided to go through with my plan, insisting on finding a way to make this possible with the support of my peers, friends and family who have encouraged me and empowered me to take this step outside my comfort zone.
Luckily, I was able to find a suitable program with an outstanding rank yet affordable tuition at KU Leuven in Belgium:
- The program is two years long, with each academic year costing around 1,000 Euros.
- The average living cost in Leuven as a student is about 800 Euros a month (including rent).
This amounts to around €20,000 (approx. $25,000) in total for both years.
I have been trying to save up money from my current job through exchanging what I gain in Lebanese pounds to USD. With the current unstable currency, my salary amounts to as low as a $150/month. Removing my daily expenses from this amount leaves me with barely $70/month to save up for my master’s plan. This alone, obviously, is not sufficient to pay off the mentioned amount, which is why I need your support. I also plan to be working in parallel with my studies at KU Leuven, to ensure I cover all my expenses, as the GoFundMe serves as a partial funding of my education.
Cost Breakdown (In Euros):
- Food/Month: €300
- Rent /Month: €400 --> €600 (This cost has increased since it was the only room available in Gent. Working to find cheaper accommodations in Leuven).
- Insurance: €25
- Bike Rental/Year: €70
- Study Material: €400
Total for 2 year Program: = €19,365 (~$25,000)
The amount has been updated to reflect $15,000 in an effort to attain our goal for this campaign.
Living Costs in Belgium
Studying Costs in Belgium
THIS FUNDRAISER IS ORGANIZED BY RALPH SARKIS [Jersey City, NJ] & MARIA KHALIL [San Diego, CA] ON BEHALF OF NADINE HARB [Beirut, Lebanon]
This is Mango, he says hi!Doing what I love the most: spreading food safety awarenessFood processing lab from my time as a food science undergraduateOn-campus involvement and some beautiful people I met along the wayHelping out on the ground after the August 4th Beirut Explosion: clearing debris and glass from streets/shops, distributing water and food to volunteersAdvocating for a better Lebanon and actively taking part in the October 17 Lebanese revolutionCitizens expressing anger and frustration at banks for seizing and freezing their savingsCitizens expressing anger and frustration at banks for seizing and freezing their savingsOrganizer
Nadine Harb
Organizer
Jersey City, NJ