Last fall, fourth-year students Sarah and Rawan Morshed traded Halifax for Oxford, England and their daily coffee for tea during an academic adventure they wonāt soon forget.Ģż
āThere is an indisputable allure to Oxford ā the City of Dreaming Spires,ā says Rawan. āThe foggy days, old books, and candlelit libraries, the whole dark academia atmosphere embodied by Oxford.āĢż
The Egyptian sisters became the first Faculty of Computer Science students to study abroad at the , completing an eight-week term at the famed schoolās Trinity College ā one final voyage together before graduation.
Sarah and Rawan were drawn to Oxfordās prestigious reputation and unique tutorial system where students can learn one-on-one with their professors. Sarah studied design and analysis of algorithms and data structures, principles of programming languages, and software engineering, while Rawan studied cybersecurity and machine learning.
Driven by curiosity
Despite being in a new country and studying within a different educational structure, both sisters excelled. Dr. Andreas Galanis, Sarahās primary tutor, expressed his admiration for her hard work and dedication in what he describes as āone of the hardest courses in the Oxford Computer Science curriculum.ā
Rawan discovered Oxfordās tutorial setup and unique term length helped drive her passion for cybersecurity. She studied with Dr. Kubilay Ahmet KuĢƧuĢk and Dr. Andrey Kravchenko for her primary and secondary tutorials, deepening her love for technology.Ģż
āThe tutorial format allowed me to engage deeply with the topics I care about most, and the conversations [I had with Dr. Ahmet KuĢƧuĢk] were genuinely exciting and challenging,ā Rawan says. āThe chance to learn in a way that is focused, personal, and driven by curiosity made my time at Oxford profoundly impactful.ā
Community minded
Outside of coursework, Rawan and Sarah became active members of Oxfordās community, meeting new people and getting the chance to network with different companies.
The sisters joined the OxWoCS () and OxWEST () societies. In addition to meeting colleagues and mentors, the societies gave the sisters even more opportunities to upskill and network.
Through OxWoCS and OxWEST, Sarah and Rawan were selected to attend Metaās Minds on AI event at Metaās office in London, representing both Oxford and ×īŠĀŠÓ°ÉŌ““.Ģż
Rawan says showing up to the two groupās events and connecting with their executive members allowed the sisters to ābuild bridges for future collaborations and knowledge exchange across the Atlantic.ā
It was a live intellectual theatre where we learned how to blend wit, intellect, and tradition
Other highlights included connecting with Trinity Collegeās first female president, Dame Hilary Boulding, who offered valuable advice on becoming an impactful female leader. They also listened to talks from SpongeBobās writer and voice actor Doug Lawrence and former British Prime Ministers at the Oxford Union Society. The sisters were engaged in the societyās student debates, which focus on contemporary issues, and were particularly inspired by them.Ģż
āIt was a live intellectual theatre where we learned how to blend wit, intellect, and tradition,ā Sarah says.
A magical setting in which to study
Despite their already packed schedules, Rawan and Sarah still made time to enjoy the English countryside and Oxfordās many traditions.
āWe loved how magical the English countryside felt,ā says Rawan, remembering how she and Sarah spent an evening horseback riding against a golden-hour sky as they trotted along lakes, fields, trees, and sheep.Ģż
Although they typically drink coffee, they lived out their childhood fantasy of drinking tea from dainty bone china cups and eating small sandwiches and scones with clotted cream at high tea. āWe used to have pretend tea parties as kids so getting to do that for real in England is a memory we will always cherish,ā Rawan continues.
However magical and quaint the English traditions, it was Oxford itself that the sisters fell the most in love with.
During their final week in England, Sarah and Rawan climbed the thirteenth-century university churchās tower, the oldest part of the
āAs I was admiring its beauty, it was a bittersweet moment where I got lost in my thoughts reflecting on the many inspiring people I met there,ā Rawan remembers. āThe new experiences, the achievements, and finally fulfilling my dream. It didnāt feel real, and yet, it was.ā
All these incredible achievements and memories would not have been possible without ×īŠĀŠÓ°ÉŌ““ās powerful support for us
The sisters donāt know what the future holds or if they will return to Oxford, but they are thankful for the opportunity to study at such a magical place.
āAll these incredible achievements and memories would not have been possible without ×īŠĀŠÓ°ÉŌ““ās powerful support for us,ā says Sarah. āWe are grateful and honoured to be members of our prestigious university. We wore our Dal sweaters to Oxford with pride.ā