The American University in Cairo (AUC), located in the Fifth Settlement, held the graduation ceremony of the 13th edition of the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access).
Daniel Rubinstein, US Ambassador to Egypt, attended the ceremony, along with Ahmad Dallal, the President of the AUC, Curtis Chan, Director of the Regional English Language Office (RELO), and Ehab Abdel-Rahman, the AUC Provost.
During the ceremony, Rubinstein thanked the "Access" program for inviting him to join the event and celebrate the students' massive achievements.
“We are here to celebrate the achievements of 173 incredible students from Aswan, Cairo, Port Said, and Tanta,” he said at the beginning of his speech.
Rubinstein underlined the AUC’s efforts during the program to ensure that "Access continues to offer high-quality education and identify innovate opportunities to enrich your learn experience."
According to the US ambassador, learning English could help people achieve success in their life, describing it as "the language of science, education, business, and of course the internet.”
He added that English could help people to bring new ideas to the world; however, the program is not only focusing on learning English but also teaches the students' life skills, which will help them throughout their academic and professional careers.
"During your time as Access students, you have expanded your English language skills and you have built self-confidence. You have developed critical thinking skills, and you have become promising young leaders," he highlighted.
In the same vein, Rubinstein clarified that US Embassy invests in education in Egypt, as it is not only for the student's future, but also it is beneficial to everyone thinking to become leaders in their communities.
He also elaborated that the US has invested "over $1.7 billion to support education in Egypt since 1978 through programs," such as the US Agency for international development and diplomacy and "of course the English language Access program managed by the Regional English Language Office (RELO) in the US embassy."
The American ambassador concluded the speech with a few words for the Access students. He urged them to be curious and continue to learn and try new things.
“Be patient and remember that progress takes time and takes hard work. I encourage you to share what you learn with others,” he said.
“The Access program is an important step but it’s just one step on your journey. The skills you required from the program are very invaluable resources for your future. But where you go from here, is up to you. I have full confidence in all of you and I am excited to see what you will achieve in the future.”
The Access program is an English language learning program affiliated with the US State Department and aims to develop language skills for financially unprivileged students from the ages of 13 to 18 through classroom different activities.
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