Hi, my name is Fatma Alborai, and I come from a small village in Egypt.

Growing up as the youngest of eight children, I learned early on that opportunity is not something handed to you. It is something you chase, sometimes uphill, sometimes alone, with all the determination you can gather. My village didn’t have many resources, but it did have one thing I held onto tightly: a belief that education could change everything.

That belief carried me from my village classroom to the African Leadership Academy (ALA) in South Africa, introducing me to a world beyond my hometown, where I took my A-levels in Computer Science, Physics, and Advanced Math. At ALA, I found an academic challenge and also a community of young changemakers who, like me, believed in the power of bold dreams.

During my time there:

In 2023, I completed a research paper on unsupervised machine learning through Pioneer Academics and was selected for their Student Advisory Board, mentoring new students on their own research journeys. This year, I joined the Take Action Lab and worked with Just Grace, a nonprofit in Langa, South Africa. There, I managed student data systems and tutored STEM subjects at a local high school. These experiences reaffirmed my deepest conviction: engineering is about solving real problems and building a more equitable world.

And now, that belief in quality education has taken me even further:

I’ve been accepted into SUNY Korea to study Electrical Engineering, with a full scholarship through the highly competitive Shared Prosperity Scholarship. This program will fund three years of study in Korea, followed by one year at Stony Brook University in the US. It covers my tuition, housing, and meals, and it is a giant leap toward my life’s mission.

But there’s one final hurdle I can’t clear alone.

To actually begin this program in the fall, I need to cover essential costs that fall outside of my scholarship — costs that are not optional, but necessary for me to turn this opportunity into reality.

Here's what that looks like:

For each year in Korea:

The total for three years: $15,075

For one year in the U.S. (at Stony Brook University):

The total for four years: $19,575

This is a gap I cannot close alone, but with your support, I can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I’ve chosen this path because I want to build systems that matter, systems that reach people in rural areas like mine, that improve access to education, that open doors for those who feel forgotten. And SUNY Korea is the ideal place to learn how to do just that. But I can’t get there without your help.

If you can, please contribute, no matter the amount. You’re not just helping me board a plane. You’re helping a young woman from a village in Egypt become an engineer with a mission. You’re investing in someone who will spend her life paying it forward, in classrooms, and in every system she helps build.

Even if you’re not able to donate, sharing this campaign with others who believe in education and equity would mean the world to me.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Fatma