Beneficiary Stories | 09 May 2022
Ambassador Profile: Mohamed El-Borai
I have been on the ISTAT Scholarship committee since 2015, and when I joined I found that the bias was very much on US and UK universities, and I felt that being an “International” society we needed to be more international, so I pushed to get French Universities as well as North African ones.
I was also on the Foundation Board for 3 years.
Today I am ambassador for the following:
- Cairo University, Egypt
- University College of Aviation and Technology (ESAT), Tunisia
- Toulouse Business School, France
- SUPAERO MAROC - Ecole d'Ingénieurs Aéronautique, Morocco
- ISAE – SUPAERO, France
- Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, France
The three French universities are the top ones in this field in France and I felt it important to include them.
Why am I doing this?
I sincerely believe, at my ripe old age, and even before, that it is our duty to promote the field of aviation and show how passionate we are about it. People have lost passion in many areas of work, but for me I have always been passionate about aviation, ever since I started in 1969 and even before. I therefore see it as my duty to promote the industry through the ISTAT Foundation, as it is an excellent means to help those who want to embark in the field but cannot afford to.
To illustrate, a one year scholarship in the US will cost $10,000, whereas in Egypt $3,000, so you would pay for 3 years for an Egyptian student and it still would cost you less than one year in the US. The other issue to consider is, whereas in the US and the UK there are many scholarships available, North Africa does not have such a system in place, nor does France, so by helping out these universities it benefits everyone. Some of the French universities will have African students and we are helping.
Finally, and most importantly, the hidden benefit is that the students we help today may become industry leaders in their country, and they will always remember ISTAT and what it did for them.
Become an ISTAT Ambassador
Learn More about the ISTAT Foundation Scholarship Program