Who is Leen? Leen Waddah Sa’eb
I studied Civil Engineering at Damascus University, Irrigation, and Drainage Department, and I graduated in 2011. Then I continued my master’s studies at Damascus University in Information Technology in 2012. After that, I received a scholarship from Reda Saeed Foundation to study for a master’s degree in Britain, where I attended the University of Exeter in 2015 to study Water Resources Management specialization.
I had difficulties when I was in Damascus and when I arrived in Britain. The first difficulty which affected me the most was the war. Initially, I worked with the Public Corporation for Transport and Communications at Al-Duweir headquarters; we used to go to work during the shelling, and the other option was to stop working and stay at home for fear of shelling. But like all Syrians, we have learned to resist fear, wake up in the morning, live our lives, and go to our work as if nothing had happened. This war taught me that if I could make my way through it, I would surely be able to overcome any fears. During that time, I was studying for a master’s degree and attending courses to learn AutoCAD. Preoccupation with these courses and studies distracted me from the pain of war and prompted me to continue. Then I worked as an engineering team leader at Oxfam, where we traveled to dangerous areas to deliver water.
The second difficulty: managing a team of engineers older than me, all men, was not an easy task. I had to work even harder to prove myself and convince everyone to deal with the issue of a woman being a manager, which exists in our society.
Then there was the difficulty in applying for scholarships and access to funding; I had applied to many universities until I got university admission. In addition to studying English in order to take the IELTS exam, which is required for the scholarship. I would also advise all those trying to get a scholarship, to not despair of the first refusal and keep trying.
When I arrived in Britain, the difficulty of expatriation and adaptation was my first obstacle, and the difficulty of being away from family and friends, which is difficult to overcome even if you surround yourself with new friends. And then the difficulty of self-proof as a Syrian who works in a language that is not her mother tongue and in a developed country where there is no room for error.
My advice to them is not to be satisfied with what they learned at university, but rather to take advantage of the Internet that is now available, which contains all the means that help a person to reach the goal. Take advantage of this progress and openness to the world and this abundance of information to progress in the field they love. Especially the age of youth, it is the most suitable age for working hard and striving, use your time to develop yourself. This is the most important advice.
The second piece of advice: Do not stop, I believe that every diligent person has a share; no one puts an effort somewhere and goes to waste. Energy never perishes in the universe. One scientific fact and its practical application in our lives are that every effort placed in one place will inevitably produce an outcome someday. It may take a while for this result to show up, but it will show up.
The third piece of advice: Set your target and do not work at random. When you set a goal, create a plan to reach that goal and define that plan, and then start implementing it in a realistic way that fits your lifestyle. Believe that you may fail at first, but you must continue. Believe as well that success is a cumulative process and will not happen overnight.
Continuity; a successful person goes after the target patiently, while a normal person gets bored and loses hope in the first challenge. The difference is definitely not in the person’s intelligence or mind. The difference lies in one’s belief in himself and his abilities. The difference is that the successful person determines what he wants, and works to reach what he wants, while the normal person loses interest in what he wants and gets distracted easily.
Success occurs at the moment when fatigue is increasing. Do not despair, only at this moment lies success; in the extra effort.
I want to succeed in my current job as Senior Project Manager for Water Line Extension Projects in Britain at Arcadis. In addition, one of the plans I am currently thinking of is a social media project to spread knowledge among young people to discuss the problems of our Syrian society and seek to develop it.
Perseverance is the key to success, with perseverance you can overcome everything, even the absurd.
Also read: Success Story: Rouaa Hamze.
♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.