At the age of 5 my family relocated to Doha, Qatar for two years. At a young age I was able to experience a completely new culture and lifestyle. I was lucky to have a childhood which enabled me to learn about different beliefs and customs and immerse myself into a different way of life. This early experience sparked my interest in learning about the world around me. I was also fortunate enough to travel around the world on family holidays to places such as Dubai, USA and Greece. These trips furthered my interest in the different parts of the globe.

Whilst at school I was introduced to the topics of global development and international relations, through more generic topics of history and geography. I enjoyed both these subjects as they opened my eyes to the world around me, showed me how the world works and why things are the way they are. It was easy when it came to choosing a degree subject for university. I enrolled at the University of Sussex to complete a BA in International Relations and International Development.

My experience at University only furthered my interest in the subject. The degree itself taught me so much, I was able to get in depth knowledge on subjects such an international security, Gender and development, and religion in global politics. Outside my degree I was still involved in humanitarian work, I was part of raising money for HIV/AIDs awareness by assisting organising a charity fashion show. By the completion of my degree I was sure I wanted to learn more and this was definitely the field I wanted to go into. I decided to complete a master’s degree, however, I had to take a break from education to gather the funds to complete this. Throughout this gap in schooling I had two full time jobs, one at a café and one at a supermarket. I enjoyed them both as I got to work with some great people. But I always knew my passion was in International development and affairs.

As I had enjoyed my time at the University of Sussex so much I decided to complete my masters there. I chose the course ‘Conflict Security and Development as it, again, combined my passion for international security and international development. I am currently still completing my master’s degree, with a dissertation to complete. My dissertation is about female soldiers and how they are treated in post conflict situations. This is a subject I am passionate about, as throughout my education at university I had always been hugely interested in gender and development. I am hoping to complete my studies in September.

I knew I wanted to start a career in Development as I had been passionate about it for years. I realised that the best route to achieve this would be to find an internship. As soon as I found out that Al-Khair Foundation was looking for interns I knew I had found the perfect place.

Al-Khair foundation helps those in need and has a focus on vulnerable women and children. I applied for the role of programmes Intern and I was really lucky to be accepted for the job. Working here has been amazing. I have already gained invaluable insight into how an international NGO works and functions on a day to day basis. I am able to see how much good work they do including emergency relief in Nepal and highlighting the persecution and plight of the Rohingyas Working here has made me realise how much I want to pursue a career in international development and I hope I can continue to pursue this goal whilst at the Al-Khair Foundation.