Although LearnServe Egypt 2011 program was 6 weeks only, but I felt like it was a whole year program in terms of the experience and knowledge gained. it’s an opportunity that happens a once in your life time.
We have met with so many people throughout the program in different fields and expertise, public/private/governmental sectors and Profitable/Non profitable business.
I believe that meeting those wonderful people, interacting with them and increasing our circle of connections, is one of the things that I’m grateful for it and I personally consider it one of the unique and smart things in LearnServe Egypt 2011.
Literally, We have learned a lot!

We have worked on our business plans for five weeks only, after forming the teams in the first week. The five weeks seem to be a small period of time, but we have done a lot and got feedback from different people and perspectives. Besides developing the business plan and be ready and prepared all the time to pitch your idea in front of investors, mentors or media representatives, we gained/developed valuable skills, like leadership skills, innovation, presentation skills, public speaking and power point skills or Prezi skills

For me, LearnServe Egypt 2011 isn’t end of a phase of my life, It’s the start of another one:)

Reem Shalaby

Since I started the university and chose to go for a business major, I knew that I will end up doing economic development in Egypt and around the globe. This comes from my strong belief that societies become better when its “bottom of the pyramid” (Special dedication to Siler!) become economically empowered. When I first heard about LSE, it just fit right in my heart to apply to be part of the program because it combines all what I believe is important (Entrepreneurship, social impact and innovation!)

The whole program was a great addition to me both personally and professionally. Starting from developing an idea of a business that has a competitive edge that would compete in the market and be able to generate profit but in the meantime has an impact on the society to meeting great speakers who had an impact on this world whether on the political level, business level, human-relations level and many other levels.

Not only did the work and the meeting impact me but also the people! To work with different people from different backgrounds with different believes, hopes and dreams is always an enriching experience.This program has created a long-life bond that will stay with us forever inshaa Allah. Who knows when our paths will cross in the future

I want to thank you Laura and Monica for all the work you have put in this program. Thank you for being personally involved, helpful, supportive, caring and for teaching us a LOT! I am really grateful I got to know you even for a short time; you left your finger print on my life and I hope I left mine on yours too

Chris Thank you for having the vision of LSE and for working hard to make it happen. You were a great inspiration for me in doing business and networking. Thanks for your passion for the program and for us

Coach thanks for making this program happen and for all your efforts and dedication.

I will miss you LSErs! I hope our paths cross soon When Zaina becomes real, I will ship you the very first of our products in shaa Allah

With love

We have now reached Phase 4,
for what happened in the previous phases, was simply magical and life changing that made us all ready to face phase 4, which is LIFE!! I must admit, for I have learnt a lot through out this program, that enlightened and broadened my views on life. It has empowered me with a new set of skills that would help me become a better global citizen. As well as teach me those crucial business secrets that separate great businesses from others. I would like to thank Chris for his great insights on business/Gov’t policies he has taught me. I would like to thank Coach Kemper for the amazing opportunity that she has granted me by making me join this program, Im also thankful for the power of linking and networking that she has tried to make us all master. I would like to thank THE GREAT LAURA, for all the hard effort that she has put into this program and to the amount of time she invested in us, and not hesitating for a moment in our abilities but believed in us all through the way. I would like to thank Monica for her spirit and ability to take on responsibilities head on and gladly .
I would like to thank Hisham for all the technical stuff he taught us.
Lastly I would like to thank Michael, Connie, Siler, Skyla, Luna, Jordan, Omar, Abdo, Nada, Reem and Farida for everything else, for I simply love u guys

I would also like to thank Dean Dr. Sherif Kamel for creating the platform in AUC to nurture our ideas as well as for granting me the opportunity to be part of such a great program.

Words cannot describe such pictures

LSE 2011 for me, everything started with a post on the page of AUC’s school of business on facebook. It was like any other posts I see on fb which I decide to re-consider later on and I forget to take any action toward it. However, this one I didn’t and I prepared all the required documents for the application which actually were easy and simple. Yet the personal statement then was a a big thing to spend some time working on it as back then I was very busy with papers and midterms etc.. But I ended up writing it and I think I wrote a good one enough to qualify me to get accepted in the program. When I was called for an interview by Hesham and after I made it, I thought I did well but I didn’t expect to be accepted.

Yet I got accepted and suddenly I found myself working on the U.S Visa procedures and preparing to join phase I back there at AUC dorms. In the beginning, I didn’t have high expectations for the program. However, it turned out to be very tough and interesting program as we started to explore our ideas and work on convincing other participants to join and support my idea. At this point I started to find myself obliged to present a lot to several people which was a challenge for me as I wasn’t comfortable with presentations. We moved on and by the time I got to be more comfortable with presentations as we reached the final pitch in Egypt which wasn’t hard for me despite the judge’s questions and our inability to answer all of them very well. Meanwhile, all of the participants got to know each other even more and more as we spent all day long together and did everything together collectively.

Phase I ended faster than expected, and we went for Phase II which also ended faster than I thought it will. And finally we got to be the states where the end of our long journey was. In Phase III, I have never imagined the last day where we’r going to have the final pitch. It was hard to expect. But guess what.. we made it. Ratum made it and got the highest capital which has never been expected by any of my team members. Although we had different points of view about several stuff which sometimes created some conflicts this did not have any effect other than strengthening our presentation and our argument.

On the other hand, deep and strong relationships were established between everyone in the program not only the participants but also Laura, Monica, and Chris. I started to feel like we’re all one big family and I think this was a mutual feeling that everyone else had and still has till this moment. This was very clear when we were leaving the hotel and some of both the American students and Egyptians started crying. I’m sure that the end of LSE 2011 is not going to be the end of the relationship between everyone who contributed even with a very tiny thing to LSE and the participants.

Our trip to Philly was pretty beneficial as we got the chance to meet several people who added more depth and insights to our business plans and we did sightseeing. It started with Mr Holtzman who gave us a lot of ideas about the possible legal structure for our venture in the US. Also he contributed a lot to our financial model. Then we met Dr Pudolo who took us through his experience and insights about product design and development. Most importantly he took us to the Science Center which was sort of a travel to the future where we got introduced to new technologies that would enable entrepreneurs develop their products and introduce them to the market. Also the Science Center has several technological applications that can be used to serve the public. Last but not least we met a professor of operations management who gave us a lot of insights on getting our ideas real. He made us start thinking about the potential operational problems that we might face.

Our trip to Lafayette College was great. It reminded me of AUC as we have most most of the facilities that they have out there. Also it was great to meet the Dean and the rest of the upper management of the college and get their feedback on our idea.

Mayor Panto’s meeting was very refreshing. I loved the mayor’s spirit and his passion and love to Easton. He showed to us how much he loves his city and how much he sacrificed for a better life for the people of Easton. He took us to a tour around Easton and it was even more refreshing and interesting as he kept greeting everyone he met and sounded so familiar with everyone in the street.

During our final pitches at Mercator XXI LLC Headquarters yesterday, Ali quoted a common English saying: “Give a man a fish, you’ve fed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you’ve fed him for a lifetime”. While the context was his team (Istikal)’s promise to equip the disabled persons of Cairo with skills for gainful employment, I think this can also be easily applied to the entire program we have just completed as well.

While the money invested in our businesses yesterday may have been of the virtual variety, the business plans that we had labored over to gain that recognition were not, and all of the Investors emphasized the view that we had all met or exceeded the threshold for having created viable, socially impactful businesses that would have a great shot at success and certainly add value to our stakeholders.

In addition to being an incredible experience, both in terms of the new places visited, the fascinating people met, the lasting friendships formed, what LearnServe Egypt has been for me is a feet on the ground crash course in intercultural, socially responsible, financially sound, and innovatively conceived and implemented entrepreneurship. From our first days in Cairo where we brainstormed ideas and made observations, to the many late nights looking up statistics and crunching numbers, to our final presentation yesterday where we spoke eloquently about the who, what, where, when, why and how of our social enterprise, the past 6 weeks have given us the skills to join an exciting new group: entrepreneurs; thinkers and doers who are working to create value and change the world, all at the same time.

With the experiences and skills gained over the past 6 weeks, we are all equipped to put up the sails and set out on our own voyages. The program may have come to dock, but our plans for the future have just  set out on the great ocean of possibility. Thank you LearnServe Egypt for helping us build our boats. You put us on this wave of possibility, now we must chart our own courses.

Siler Bryan

The program left some after effects on me: just now a solar street light on the high way caught my attention (no matter how many times I’ve seen them I get excited inevitably), I couldn’t help noticing handicapped signs in the metro station and a handicapped ramp by the street, and I had to force myself away from going inside a store to check out where a seemingly handcrafted bag comes from so that I wouldn’t miss my bus..

Now I’m sitting on the bus back to Easton, LearnServe Egypt has ended,  it was hard for me to say goodbye in the hotel just now when I had to leave the group to catch the bus. I feel they are still around me, so many vivid details are deeply engraved in my mind: Farida’s sparkling eyes and clapping hands when she gets excited, Nada’s whining about life when she has to get up every morning reluctantly, Reem’s addiction to twitter wherever she goes, Omar’s funny face when he says “Eih?” with only one eyebrow raised, Ali’s serious look when he is giving a presentation with passion, Abdu’s crazy laughters that could shake the floor and long questions with lots of “Yahni”, Jordan’s professional look when she explains things and her unaffected smile, Skyla’s cheerful nature and always-ready-to-give hugs, Michael’s cool look with sunglasses and easily-turned-red face when he gets nervous, Connie’s high five with a brother-like grin, Siler’s playfulness and green cap that he wears sidewards…Just thinking of those could make my eyes wet. Over the past six weeks, we went through challenges together and watched each other grow, sometimes we fought and argued, but they all boiled down to acceptance and support. At the end of the program we are still imperfect but that’s fine — we love each other for who we are, not who we want each other to be. And to me, that’s a loving family.

After six weeks in LearnServe Egypt I can honestly say that this has been one of the most memorable and inspiring projects I’ve been a part of. From writing business plans to pitching to gov’t officials, the exposure and knowledge I’ve received has been unprecedented. I feel so lucky for having the opportunity to learn more about business, gov’t and forming a start up. These skills are invaluable and have opened a new window of opportunity for me.

Yesterday was the culmination of our 6 weeks, as we pitched our final time to a panel of five judges. My team executed with synergy and our hard work truly showed. Working in a team with students from a different country was quite an experience, as we all had different ways of thinking and approaching a problem. Learning from a new perspective allowed me to gain a well-rounded view of a variety of issues. Being able to grasp a concept from a different viewpoint is beneficial in that allows one to put his or herself in another’s shoes. This depth of thought really allowed me and my team to conquer tough problems with intelligent solutions.

The success of each group’s pitch exemplified the hard work that everyone has put into this program. Each group’s business showed thoughtfulness and a concern for Egyptian society. They were well thought out and most importantly, feasible. I think each group’s idea has a chance at becoming successful. We tackle tough and relevant issues and seek to better Egypt. Great work to all!

In the minutes leading up to the first presentation yesterday, I was really nervous. I kept getting flashbacks of the last time we had presented in front of investors when we had been told we didn’t have a business. The judges sitting in the chairs had a similar look to the ones in Cairo- stern, successful and skepticism.

We were the last group to go and things were already looking good. Ratum and Zaina had done really well in front of the judges, but now it was our turn. I took a deep breath to relax and went up with my team. As we began, I looked at the judges and the group of people behind them. two slides into our presentation, I could tell the judges already had questions for us. What if they don’t like it? What if they tell us we don’t have a business again? My heartbeat sped up. I glanced at my team and then to the groups behind the judges. They were smiling. I looked at the faces I had come to know so well and realized it didn’t matter as much what the judges thought. I had friends here who cared about me and my project and who really believed we could do this. I relaxed again and began my part of the presentation, remembering to act the same way I would in front of a camera.

We all did really well. We blew the judges away and we walked out of the conference room knowing we met and may have even exceeded expectations. All of our hard work had come to fruition.

It’s the end of the program now and I’m sad to see everyone go. In a few minutes I’ll have to go downstairs into the hotel lobby and say goodbye to good friends I may not see for years, even decades. Even though it was hard work, this program got me to think differently and improve myself as well as meet some amazing people. I will never forget this.