Rafa hopes that both the Libyan and the European sides carry on working together to create better synergies and communicate on their ambitions and challenges to overcome them. “As a Libyan living in Tripoli, no matter how difficult the situation is, there is still potential to find solutions.”
Dr. Rania Elemam, 38, was granted an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, one of the fortunate ones to be given fully funded PhD scholarships for three years. She said: “I gained a lot of knowledge, excelled academically and was able to travel to many different countries where I participated with my articles and published eight scientific papers.”
Thanks to the support from her supervisors, professors and the scholarship team, Dr. Elemam gained her doctoral degree in a surprisingly short period of time, which is why she encourages everyone to apply for these scholarships and not let the political conflicts hinder their willingness to try these opportunities.
Although faced with personal challenges, such as not being able to see her family for the whole three years, Rania found the experience to be very enriching as it opened her mind to exciting new horizons. She found a new appreciation for cultural exchange and international relations. As well as her academic achievements, Rania was able to achieve some personal goals too: “I learnt Portuguese and the violin, I also managed to keep good relations with friends and professionals on national and international levels including scientists and professors.”
As a professor, Rania pledges to benefit her students with new ways of teaching, introducing new technologies and encouraging them to be part of such mind-opening programmes to discover their talents and skills and value personal development.