\u201cPaths don\u2019t have to be linear to be meaningful\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Nourhan Beshir Attia earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in environmental engineering at Cairo University in 2020, she couldn\u2019t have known that six years later, she would be addressing her classmates as the graduate commencement speaker. Grad school wasn\u2019t even part of her plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But after a few years serving in corporate sustainability roles in Egypt and United Arab Emirates, she decided it was time to pivot to work that would have a more meaningful environmental impact. Clark stood out for its strong focus on social impact and for centering development around the community\u2019s needs and voice, and she was able to attend on a Fulbright fellowship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, two years later, she is ready to receive a master\u2019s in environmental science and policy and also share her perspective with her fellow graduates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beshir Attia plans to highlight the resilience of her classmates, many of whom are international students, amid the national focus on immigration. She adds that she appreciates Clark\u2019s support of its international students, and she never felt unsafe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my classes, most students are international students, and everyone brings a different perspective,\u201d Beshir Attia says. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes the classroom so engaging \u2014 you see the world through many lenses, and the authenticity of those ideas challenges you to think about issues in new ways and not take things for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since she worked for several years before enrolling at Clark, Beshir Attia says that she\u2019s almost always the oldest student in her classes. \u201cIt\u2019s just my timing,\u201d she says. \u201cPaths don\u2019t have to be linear to be meaningful. Some people will leave here and step into major positions right away. Others will achieve even bigger things a few years down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat matters is staying consistent and intentional in the work we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beshir Attia completed an internship with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, contributing to projects related to solar energy and EV charging infrastructure. \u201cIt was one of the most impactful parts of my experience. I gained hands-on experience translating climate goals into actionable strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also worked with Extractives@Clark, which let her engage with global issues related to natural resource extraction and sustainability. \u201cBeing part of research, events, and community-focused initiatives helped me see how academic work can connect with broader societal challenges,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beshir Attia wants to work in sustainability and climate action, with a focus on community-centered development projects. She got some hands-on training in a class taught by Sustainability and Social Justice Professor Ramon B\u00f3rges Mendez, traveling to Puerto Rico to research agroecological farming. Their work ranged from market research and map creation to visiting the USDA and speaking with farmers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Borges Mendez \u201chas a way of getting you genuinely interested in the subject,\u201d Beshir Attia says, noting that she would like to incorporate sustainable food systems into her future work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to contribute to climate solutions in the Middle East, particularly around food security, adaptation, and infrastructure investment,\u201d she says. \u201cBut in the short term, working on decarbonization and energy transition makes the most sense \u2014 and that sector is very active right now in Massachusetts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Beshir Attia, choosing Clark was a combination of factors: the location, the state, and the school size. \u201cI wanted to build a real community, and that\u2019s easier in a smaller setting. At a bigger school, it can be hard to form those connections. Here, with a smaller student body and fewer faculty, you can build relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During one of her first classes at Clark, Professor David Bell asked the students, \u201cWhat is your vision?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere I come from, we don\u2019t really have that kind of freedom \u2014 to express our opinion freely, the way people do here in the U.S.,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen the professor asked me that question, I realized I had never thought of myself as someone who could have a vision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 18, Beshir Attia will stand at a podium during Clark\u2019s Graduate Commencement Exercises and share that vision with her fellow graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Nourhan Beshir Attia will deliver student address at Graduate School Commencement May 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28305,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-blue)","story_headerImg":28305,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[223],"displayed_author":[258],"featured":[494],"topic":[311,169],"class_list":["post-28301","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-community","displayed_author-melissa-lynch-95-mspc-15","featured-secondary","topic-commencement","topic-graduate-students"],"yoast_head":"\n