CPISP Newsletter 2013

Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Program

• CPISP

announces 14th

Group of

Scholarship

Recipients

• CPISP works with

BIBF to develop

Candidacy

Program

• Boarding school

scholars leave a

big impact on

campus

Individual

Highlights:

Program updates 2

Internships 3

0213 Graduates 4

Students 5

Sponsors 6

Kingdom of Bahrain

HRH receives 2013 Scholarship Recipients

The CPISP has developed its

application and selection

process, working in

cooperation with the Bahrain

Institute for Banking and

Finance (BIBF) to enhance

the training features of its

Candidacy Program to

further benefit student

applicants and candidates.

The qualifying tests for

applicants have expanded to

include three critical

reasoning tests to assess

verbal, numerical, and

diagrammatical abilities, in

addition to an online English

Proficiency Test.

Based on the results of these

tests and GPAs, a minimum

of 60 students were selected

from governmental and

private schools to take part in

the 2013 Candidacy

Program, which included a

Critical Thinking course and

leadership training with BIBF,

as well as Personality and

Career Path Assessment and

the completion of a Level 3

certificate from the UK-based

Chartered Management

Institute in Team Leading.

Candidates also underwent

preparation courses for the

IELTS and SAT exams, and

the Candidacy Program

culminated in an outdoor

team building day with BIBF

at the Royal Golf Club.

14 / 03 / 2013 - HRH the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa welcomes the Program’s 14th Group of scholarship recipients at Riffa Palace, Kingdom of Bahrain.

2013 Recipients (Group 14) Student Name Secondary School School / University

Ahmed Atef Ashour East Riffa Boys School Choate Rosemary Hall, USA

Ali Mohamed Al-Mubarak Al Tawon Boys School Tabor Academy, USA

Ebrahim Faisal Al-Haddad Naim Boys School The Gunnery, USA

Fatema A.Hameed Al-Khanaizi Saar Girls School The Hun School of Princeton, USA

Fatema Ramzi Al-Majed Bahrain Bayan School University of Colorado, USA

Huda Ali Hasan Jidhafs Girls School Shrewsbury School, UK

Khaled Abdulmajeed Abdulkarim Ibn Khuldoon National School

University of Pennsylvania, USA

Samir Ismail Khonji St. Christopher's School Bristol University, UK

Walaa Mohamed Al-Khanaizi Saar Girls School Philips Academy Andover, USA

Yasmeen Essa Zainal St. Christopher's School University College London, UK

CPISP Candidacy Program with BIBF

CPISP Newsletter - 2013 Page 2 of 6

CPISP officials met with

various Ambassadors in

Bahrain and abroad to

discuss educational

opportunities available for

outstanding Bahraini

scholars. Dr. Cynthia

Gessling met with the French

Ambassador to Bahrain, HE

Mr. Christian Testot, the

Japanese Ambassador HE

Mr. Shigeki SUMI, and the

Korean and Russian Cultural

Attaches. She also held

discussions with officials

from the Ministries of

Education and Foreign

CPISP works to gather support for candidates

The CPISP requires

governmental school

scholars to attend boarding

schools in the US or UK for a

period of two years to

complete either their A-

Levels or American High

School Diploma, before

applying to university.

During this period, assigned

guardians residing in the US

and UK help orient the

students to their new schools

and surroundings, and host

them during school breaks

and/or emergencies.

CPISP welcomes new Boarding School Guardians

Affairs, and met with the

Bahraini Ambassador in

Germany, the Bahraini

Ambassador in France, and

the Bahraini Cultural Attaché

in the UK.

Experts and officials were

also invited to give lectures

and join panel discussions

during leadership training for

candidates and included

CPISP scholars Islam

Altayeb, Marwa Aleskafi, and

Mohamed Janahi who

shared their university

experiences with candidates.

Guest Speakers also

included: Mr. Ali Abdulla

(Labor Market Demands),

Ms. Maysoon Sabkar

(Networking and Social

Media), Mr. Ebrahim Al-

Shaibeh (Community

Service), Dr. Tariq Al-

Maadawi (Stress

Management), Chris

Rawlinson (Fitness), and

Nada Jawahery (Health).

A special session on

entrepreneurship included a

panel of officials from

Tenmou, Tamkeen, BDB,

and Batelco Innovation.

runners- up to The top sixty

candidates were selected

from the students who

applied for 2013 scholarships

early this year.

Their training began with

Critical Reading and Critical

Thinking courses, which ran

from March to April.

The Candidate Leadership

Program is taking place for

three weeks in July, and

aims to develop leadership,

communication, and problem

solving skills. It also features

lectures from guest speakers

focusing on various areas of

personal development and

culminates with student team

projects and final

presentations.

This year, sponsors have

been invited to attend two

open days during the

Leadership Program in order

to observe the students in

action and examine the

program’s course material.

The CPISP will also provide

candidates with a SAT and

IELTS Preparation course

before they take both exams

in November.

The final 10 recipients will be

selected next year based on

their GPAs, SAT results,

IELTS results, Critical

Thinking Course score, and

Leadership Training Program

Score.

After serving as official

guardians for the Program’s

boarding school scholars in

the UK since 2000, Dr. Roger

and Dorothy Baxter

announced their retirement in

2013. CPISP Director Dr.

Cynthia Gessling thanked the

Baxters for their support of

the Program, and for their

valuable contributions in

enriching the educational and

cultural experiences of

CPISP scholars.

The CPISP will now be

working with Gabbitas, an

independent education

consultancy, to fulfill the

guardianship needs of

boarding school scholars in

the UK. The company assigns

students to a responsible

guardian family to take care of

them during holidays and

between school terms.

The Program also welcomed

Mrs. Shaikha Buali, a native of

Bahrain, and her spouse Mr.

David Brown as USA

Guardians. They reside in

Philadelphia, PA and both

have a Master’s in Special

Needs Education and teach in

Philadelphia.

Boarding/Prep School scholars graduate

The following scholars from Group 10 (2011) successfully completed their A-Levels or

American High School Diploma and started their first year of university:

Name Prep/Boarding School University Ahmed Adham Bardooli Tabor Academy, USA Tufts University, USA

Esraa Abdulnabi Sabah Loomis Chaffee School, USA Northeastern University, USA

Jannat Aun Alkhanizi Sedbergh School, UK University College London, UK

Mohammed Nabeel Khunji Canford School, UK King’s College London, UK

Saeed Ahmed Al Rahma The Hun School of Princeton, USA Duke University, USA

CPISP meets with

HE Dr. Naser Al-Belooshi in Paris.

CPISP meets with HE Mr. Ebrahim

Mahmood Ahmed Abdulla in Berlin.

“I became more familiar and open to the English culture and people and drastically improved my

English language and social and leadership skills. I also got the chance to try many different new

sports like rugby, rowing, tennis, badminton, soft ball, and golf, and took part in community service

activities and school anniversaries.” - Mohammed Nabeel Khunji

“My Boarding School experience allowed me to look at things from a new perspective and aspire for

different things. Being able to win the school’s mathematics prize for a second year in a row, make

friends from all over the world, start sport hobbies, and develop musical interests are what will make

my time in Sedbergh School always memorable.” - Jannat Aun Alkhanizi

“I owe most of the great moments I had in Loomis to my dorm-mates and the dorm-affiliates; they

truly were a second family to me and provided me with the support I needed throughout the year. In-

fact, during my time at Loomis I never felt homesick, but I did feel severely dorm-sick when I was

back home… I didn’t expect it to be the greatest experience of my life!” –Yousif Alnawakhtha

Sumana Al-Gharbi picks

apples for charities and the

homeless with the Gunnery

Community Service Club.

Shifaa Alsairafi was

awarded the

Katherine Carlebach

Prize for her

distinguished

enthusiasm in

applying herself to

her studies and

extracurricular

activities at Choate

Rosemary Hall, USA.

Jannat Alkhanizi with the stone

mammoth at Barcelona’s Parc de

la Ciutadella during her summer

trip to learn Spanish.

CPISP Newsletter – Summer 2012 Page 3 of 6

Qassim Al-Mansoor, an

undergraduate majoring in

Mechanical Engineering at

Southampton University, UK,

spent an amazing 3 months

this summer interning at

McLaren Automotive in

Surrey, England. Qassim

explains he was a Series

Development intern for the

chassis function group and

worked on two project

proposals related to

developing the McLaren

MP4-12C, which he says will

be implemented on durability

vehicles.

“I was involved in the

development of the MP4-

Qassim Al-Mansoor interns at McLaren Automotive

Elham Yusuf, who is pursuing

a Bachelor’s degree in

International Relations with a

focus on Global Health,

completed a medical

internship in India this

summer with non-profit

organization Child Family

Health International (CFHI).

Elham was given the

opportunity to shadow

doctors and health allied

professionals at various

health camps in Northern

India and at Landour

Community Hospital in

Mussoorie.

Through this internship,

Elham became a certified

Emergency Medical

Technician and completed

Elham Yusuf completes medical internship in India

Fatema Al-Gharbi, who is

pursuing an undergraduate

degree in Mathematical

Computational Sciences at

Stanford University, was

awarded entry into the Bio-X

Undergraduate Summer

Research Program. The

ten-week program allowed

her to focus on her chosen

topic of data mining and

data analysis, conduct

Fatema Al-Gharbi receives Stanford BioX Summer Research Award

“The prospect of

contributing to

cancer research was

very exciting. It was

also valuable

exposure to the

research aspect of

medicine, to discover

how scientific

invention and

breakthroughs work

in harmony with

clinical medicine,”

Ayman Tariq Saeed on

receiving RSCI Award

for Excellence in

Undergraduate

Research.

12C’s brake ducts which

involved designing the ducts

with a cheaper material that

would give the same

performance as the current

carbon fiber ducts,” says

Qassim. “I was also involved

in a cost-down activity for the

fuel tank retention which

involved creating cheaper

features for the system and

studying the feasibility of

their implementation by

measuring the risk involved.”

His responsibilities also

included dealing with

concern reports with regards

to any design, production,

and service issues related to

the MP4-12C chassis

components.

“The opportunity was

incredible; being surrounded

by a wealth of knowledge

and brilliant minds from the

automotive industry, not to

mention a great history of

producing some of the best

cars in the world was an

overwhelming feeling. I am

particularly proud of the fact

that some of my ideas will be

implemented on the car. One

day, whenever I see a

McLaren MP4-12C on the

road, I can proudly say that

there is a Bahraini signature

on the design of that car and

that signature is mine. “

Albright, Sadiqa Basiri

Saleem, Jon Stewart and

Usher!

The students I’ve met at

CGIU are inspiring, driven

and humbling students.

Exchanging ideas with them

has given me insight on how

what works in one country

might not work in another.

This kind of thinking has

brought me closer to

understanding how important

localization is in whatever

developmental initiatives

Bahraini leaders choose to

undertake today, and in the

future.”

over 150 hours of patient

care. She took part in clinical

rotations in Cardiology,

Emergency Medicine, and

OB/GYN. Her duties involved

taking patient vital signs,

assisting patients in routine

morning and evening rounds,

and triaging patients in

Landour Community

Hospital’s trauma

department.

Elham explains that working

with an NGO that focuses on

community development

allowed her to learn about the

needs of rural communities,

and their effects on urban

areas as well. “I traveled with

doctors through multiple

health camps in isolated

villages focusing on primary

care and health issues, and

the needs of rural Indian

communities that lack access

to healthcare.”

“I witnessed different modes

of extreme poverty, and

learned from health care

professionals who are

working to give their

communities educational

resources and opportunities

to live a healthy just life. My

internship challenged me as

an individual and a future

patient-care provider. It

allowed me to reflect on

personal values that will

allow me to serve others

better and live a purpose

driven life.”

hands-on-research, attend

weekly talks given by faculty

mentors, and learn about the

research of other fellow

students.

She explained that her

research focused on writing

an application to visualize the

Dynamics of Bacterial

Communities through a time

course experiment. “The

application turns large

datasets on bacteria records

to graphical networks that

may show interesting

patterns or clusters of the

distinct bacteria in the

dataset. Some researchers

have currently shown interest

in using the application to

find patterns and clusters of

bacteria in the human

mouth.”

I learnt that in order to solve

a problem one needs to be

educated in interdisciplinary

fields, hence I am

encouraging everyone to

Qassim Al-Mansoor helps develop the McLaren MP4-12C during his summer

internship.

“I learnt that in order to solve

a problem one needs to be

educated in interdisciplinary

fields, hence I am

encouraging everyone to

take a few courses that are

not related to their fields and

try new things. That is the

way one can discover and

learn about their hidden skills

and talents.”

Ali Marhoon takes part in the Harvard Talent Show.

CPISP Newsletter - 2013 Page 4 of 6

2013 Graduates (under-graduate degrees)

Name University / Major Currently

Hassan Al-Halwachi

Imperial College London, UK / MEng in Chemical Engineering

Employed at Genesis Oil & Gas Consultants, UK

Khaled Al-Khaja

Edinburgh University, UK / LLB Law and Economics

Completing LLM Law at University of Edinburgh, UK

Mahmood Adel Abdulla

University of Southern California, USA / BSc in Economics with Mathematics & Business Administration

Employed at Economic Development Board, Bahrain

Maryam Alireza

University of Pennsylvania, USA / BA in Economics & Political Science

Seeking employment

Mohammed Al-Sadadi

Purdue University , USA / BSc in Applied Mathematics

Seeking employment

Sarah Ameen

University of Pennsylvania, USA / BA in Political Science & Modern Middle Eastern Studies

Completing Masters in International Affairs at Columbia University, USA

Sharif Al-Sayed

University of Michigan, USA / BEng in Computer Science

Employed Microsoft, Seattle, USA

2013 Graduates (post-graduate degrees)

Name University / Major Currently

Abdulla Saleh Abdulaal

London School of Economics and Political Science, UK / MSc in Economic History,

Pursuing PhD in Economics at SOAS, UK

Fatima Al Rayes

London School of Economics and Political Science, UK / MSc in Management

Employed at Deliotte LLP, London

Fawaz Abdulla University of Cambridge, UK / PhD in Economics

Working on an independent research project in the UK

Maha Ashour

Tufts University, USA / MSc in Economics

Employed at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC

Mashael Fakhro

Columbia University, USA / MPA in Environmental Science and Policy

Employed at ROC One, New York

Mishal Awadah

University of Pennsylvania, USA / MSc Eng in Computer Science

Employed at Apple Inc., CA, USA

Mohamed Al-Shehab

MSc in Managerial and Financial Economics at HEC Business School in Paris.

Employed at Barclays Bank, London

Noora Al-Sindi Georgetown University, USA / MPP Public Policy

Seeking employment in USA

Rawan Maki

Imperial College London, UK / MSc Eng in Environmental Engineering (Constructive and Water Design Track)

Employed at Bain and Company, Dubai, UAE

Mahmood Adel Abdulla graduates

from the University of Southern

California, USA.

Rawan Maki (center) on a field trip

to Reading Sewage Treatment

Works, UK to learn about water

and energy preservation.

“It was a great journey; I

learned so much and had

many opportunities where I

proudly represented my

country. However, the

journey is not over; I hope to

continue learning and

continue achieving. I would

like to thank everyone who

helped me along the way.”

- Mahmood Adel,

USC graduate

CPISP Newsletter – Summer 2012 Page 5 of 6

Esraa Sabah joined a group

of seven peers from Loomis

Chaffee School, USA on a

school supervised

community service trip to

India. During her two weeks

in India, Esraa spent time at

the capital New Delhi to learn

about the country’s rich

heritage, culture, and history.

She then travelled with her

group to Rajasthan in

western India where they

visited schools to learn about

the challenges facing the

country’s education system.

Esraa Sabah joins school community service trip to India

Kawthar Al-Juffairi, who is

pursuing a MEng Civil

Engineering degree at

Imperial College London, was

selected to be project

manager of an end-of-term

construction project to build a

1:20 scaled version of

London’s landmark “Gherkin”

office building. Proud of her

university’s pioneering role in

introducing team construction

projects referred to as

“Constructionarium,” Kawthar

says that many universities

are now following suit, and

shared her experience

managing the week-long

endeavor.

“I was elected by my team of

19 students to be the project

Kawthar Al-Juffairi oversees construction of mini – Gherkin building

Esraa was able to interact

with students first hand and

experience a rich cultural

exchange where she learned

about their issues and

challenges, as well as share

her own culture and

background.

“In two weeks, I witnessed

the fun, the challenging and

the heartbreaking. I had fun

exploring different foods,

riding a tuck-tuck and playing

with the children. However, I

encountered challenges

doing manual labor to build a

garden and getting sick

halfway through the trip. We

also spent some time in

slum schools in the area,

working with students in

classes and learning more

about their life style. But the

heartbreaking experiences are

what truly resonated in my

mind, especially the innocence

of children who seemed to

always smile despite their

suffering. They truly taught me

a new meaning of happiness.”

manager of the Gherkin

project. We were expected to

construct a scaled down

version of the Gherkin, an

iconic building in London. In

addition to leading a daily

progress meeting with the

team, I regularly had

meetings with the client

(Imperial College staff) and

the consultant. Being the

project manager meant that I

was expected to make big

decisions for the team,

ensure progress was being

made as per our plan and

look out for the welfare of my

team members.”

“This project helped me step

out of my comfort zone and

act on the spot. Working in a

relatively large team gave me

the opportunity to practice

trusting other team members

to accurately complete their

tasks. I also learnt how to be

flexible and to quickly adapt to

changes made to the original

plan. It was a great

opportunity for me to utilize

what I’ve learnt so far in class

and see how it comes

together when applied in a

real construction project. I now

certainly have a much clearer

idea of what Civil Engineering

is about and also the

differences between working

with a consultant and with a

contractor.”

Yusuf Abdulwahab goes on Borneo conservation expedition

Yusuf Abdulwahab took part

in a six-week conservation

expedition to Malaysian

Borneo sponsored by

Durham University, along

with 15 other students. Prior

to their departure, the group

managed to fundraise over

£20,000 which they donated

to three conservation

charities there. Their trip

included being based at a

wildlife conservation center in

the rainforests of Sarawak,

Malaysia for three weeks

where they worked on the

rehabilitation of orangutans,

sun bears, and Bornean

clouded leopards. They also

worked with a tropical

research center on the island

of Pompom in the planting of

artificial coral reefs in areas

damaged by cyanide fishing.

“Not only were we astounded

by the severity of the situation

in the places we visited, but

we were also amazed by the

dedication and resilience of

those doing all in their

capacity to better the situation.

I came back from the

expedition with a better

understanding of issues faced

by conservationists in that part

of the world, what they are

doing to solve them and how

we as students can help. Our

interaction with the local

peoples and exposure to their

distinct cultures also made the

experience truly fascinating.”

Elham Yusuf at Bududa Learning

Center during internship in Uganda

Dana Maki wins 3rd

place at a physical

therapy conference in

Taiwan for a paper on

the translation of a back

pain disability

questionnaire into

Arabic.

Yusuf Abdulwahab is honored for

completing the Duke of

Edinburgh Gold Award Program.

CPISP Newsletter - 2013 Page 6 of 6

SPONSORS

BD 1 million +

Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC)

Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO)

Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Co. (ASRY)

BD 500,000 +

Mr. Yusuff Ali M.A.

Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons

Ahlia University

Durrat Al Bahrain

BD 250,000 +

Standard Chartered Bank

United Gulf Bank

Gulf Hotels Group

Securities and Investment Company (SICO)

Ahli United Bank (AUB)

A.M. Yateem Brothers

Mr. Mohammed Dadabhai

Friends

BD 50,000 – BD 250,000

NEW COMMITMENTS:

Mr. Yusuff Ali M. A.,

Managing Director of Emke

Group pledged a personal

annual contribution of BD

50,000 to the Program,

making him the first

individual to become a Silver

Sponsor.

The Crown Prince’s

International Scholarship

Fund was launched in 2006,

with the aim of drawing in

financial support of the

Program from national and

international organizations

and individuals.

In addition to HRH the Crown

Prince’s funding,

contributions from sponsors

have ensured the continued

CPISP Endowment Fund

Sponsor Updates

Established in 1999 by HRH the

Crown Prince and Deputy

Supreme Commander Prince

Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,

the CPISP provides ten annual

scholarships to outstanding

Bahraini secondary school

students to study at top

international universities.

About Our Organization…

Crown Prince’s International

Scholarship Program

P.O Box 29091 Riffa, Kingdom of Bahrain

PHONE:

(+973) 1765-9999

FAX: (+973) 1766-4451

E-MAIL:

scholarship@ccp.bh

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

www.cpisp.bh

installments of up to five

years. Platinum Sponsors

commit funding of BD 1

million and above, Gold

Sponsors commit BD

500,000 and above, while

Silver Sponsors commit BD

250,000 and above. ‘CPISP

Friends’ is a special fourth

category for contributors

committing amounts from BD

50,000 to BD 250,000.

operation of the Program,

and allowed scholarship

recipients the opportunity to

pursue post-graduate

opportunities and take part in

specialized educational

programs and initiatives.

The Fund offers three main

sponsorship tiers: Platinum,

Gold, and Silver; payable in

one installment or with the

option of paying in annual

SPONSOR RENEWALS:

BATELCO and NBB

renewed their Platinum

sponsorships, committing

another BD 1 million to the

CPISP over the next five

years. On the Friends level,

Standard Chartered Bank

pledged a total of BD 50,000

over the next five years.

“We are also committed

to support HRH the

Crown Prince’s initiative

by offering internships

and job placements to

students who have won

scholarships across the

Bank’s network.”

Hassan Jarrar, CEO

Standard Chartered

Bank

Commitment Amount

Sponsorship Tier

BD 1 million and above

Platinum

BD 500,000 and above

Gold

BD 250,000

Silver