Thanks to Gateway KSA, I was able to meet many inspiring women of Saudi Arabia during the trip. The first woman I encountered was Munirah Al-Saleh, senior program coordinator of Gateway KSA and a PhD holder with experience of studying outside of Saudi Arabia. As a completely different image of women of Saudi is often portrayed in the media, such that women are restricted in terms of traveling, studying, and making their own decisions, it was inspiring for me to see and learn about all that Munirah has accomplished so far. Over the course of the trip, I was able to learn about her views and standpoints on several topics. In particular, one conversation stood out to me when Munirah mentioned that there will be small challenges which one has to overcome while convincing society and especially family of your own decisions and choices.

Another woman I was able to meet was Dr. Moudhi Aljamea, STC’s first female executive. She is the general manager of the ICT School at STC Academy. STC is considered one Saudi Arabia’s largest companies. Dr. Aljamea holds a PhD in computer security, and I was fortunate enough to take part in a panel discussion while discussing cyber security, and the importance of educating the society about its dangers. I was very thankful for her advice and her insight about the future of Saudi women. She as well sets a great example for future generations of women as it is still unfortunately rare even outside of Saudi for women to hold a highly ranked position.

During the panel discussion on women’s rights, I was able to meet Ms. Khlood Aldukheil who was the first Saudi female member of the Saudi Stock Exchange Tawadul, the VP of Women Business Council at the Chamber of Commerce, and an Executive Member of the National Committee for women which was established by late King Abdullah for inclusion of women in the private sector. She is the current managing director of the Aldukheil Financial Group, president of the National Committee of Statistics, and holds several other highly ranked positions in the Kingdom. Ms. Hoda Abdulrahman Al Helaissi, a member of Majlis Al Shura, was also part of the discussion. Ms. Hoda has been a lecturer at King Saud University in the past after growing up and studying abroad for many years. She has then held several positions in the university, and afterwards was nominated as one of the first 30 women to join the Shura Council. Ms. Khlood and Ms. Hoda have both made a remarkable contribution while being a great example to other women in the Kingdom.

Finally, I had the chance to meet Her Royal Highness Princess Lolowah bint Faisal Al Saud. Similar to her siblings, she received an education abroad. She is known for her dedication towards improving the wellbeing of Saudi women, especially in terms of education. She has helped establish Effat University, a female university in Jeddah, along with her mother and siblings, and currently serves as a General Supervisor of the university. She has also represented the Kingdom at several international forums. I had the opportunity to talk to Her Royal Highness, and it was great to hear about her experiences, receive advice, and also feel her dedication to education. She is very proud of her graduates and is continuing to develop opportunities for young women to experience the world in order to receive the best education possible.

It was an honor to hear about the experiences of the women, and the challenges which needed to be overcome in order to achieve their dreams. I am certain that there is a bright future ahead, and that these women will continue reaching for their goals and set an example for generations ahead. In my opinion, Saudi Arabia is recognizing the importance of women in the society, and is progressing while establishing opportunities and regulations for women. It will certainly take time as the country needs to be prepared for such changes - in terms of mentality, acceptance, and even security - but there is great potential and hope for the women of Saudi Arabia.

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After being raised in Russia, I have completed seven years of education in Germany and mastered the new language in just four months with hard work and determination. I got the chance to finish my high school career and currently receive an undergraduate education in the United States. Growing up in an international environment and a rapidly changing place of residence has helped me shape my personality while becoming open minded, determined to reach my goals, and being flexible and creative in my approaches. I constantly seek personal and professional development opportunities outside of my university classes and ongoing internship, and that is one of the many reasons why I decided to apply for Gateway KSA. As I am approaching graduation in April 2020, I am excited for what the future holds.