MOTIVATIONAL LETTER “There is no good in a community that its half is not educated” -Taher Haddad, a Tunisian activist I don’t when my passion for education has started. Sometimes, I feel it was always there even before my birth. It is the spirit and the culture I was raised in. In fact, my parents have always resisted prioritizing their 4 girls' education over the traditional village beliefs and pressure. I had a different journey from my fellows, at 12 years old I was reading Taher Haddad's recommendations for educating girls for community development, believing in Bourguiba’s movement for Tunisian women's empowerment, and influencing my neighbors that moving to a bigger city to pursue her higher education studies should never be fear but a right to claim. At that time I didn’t know that I was advocating or how can achieve an efficient outcome from my advocacy. A fun fact about my journey, seeking quality education has made me a model for this small village girls and even boys, parents, who were against my parents' decision to allow me to study in pioneer prep and high school, are now more encouraged to invest in their children education and support them to reach their full potential. Indeed, all that mattered to me was the feeling of pride with the increasing number of students coming from my small village to share with me a road of 40 kilometers per day. It is worth mentioning that I worked so hard and invested my time and efforts to fit into the pioneer school standards but the high-quality education and the learning environment were worthy. In 2019, I started my Medical school road. Surprisingly, it was a turning point. I was never imagining that Education could be my source of disappointment. I still remember mental health breakdowns in juniors and seniors students, oldfashioned methods of delivery, and vertical faculty-student relationships. For once, I regretted crossing this 40 kilometers! This repulsion was my motivation to attend my first SCOME workshop and the rollercoaster started.: National assemblies, Regional meetings, General Assemblies, and external meetings … being delegate, national team, plenary team, and currently regional Assistant.. a trainee and trainer .. assisting in person and online … Lived IFMSA with its diversity! I met people with different backgrounds, and working cultures and I managed to build my own community, people I trust and with whom I share a common goal, Learning more for better improvement. After all this journey and with the support of people that shape the current Asma, the Tunisian dreamy girl from that small village with a passion for education, is confident to present her candidature for IFMSA Director on the Standing Committee of Medical Education and invite you to build together a community of Medical Education Enthusiasts. With Love, Asma
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