Dr. Ali Darwish

Years ago, I graduated from NDU, and I am proud to be one of its students. I am writing to you today about the importance of education and dreams, and how they fuel the will to achieve our endeavors at the end of our academic path. To that end, I will write about my journey while pursuing my studies.

After earning my BA in Business Administration from Balamand University in 1994, my professional career started in the banking sector at the Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries (BBAC), in 1996. Growing up in a country ravaged by civil war was not easy, and only strengthened my belief that knowledge and education are the best weapons with which young Lebanese arm themselves. They are the means by which we reach high positions, realize our dreams, and contribute to the progress and development of our society.

I joined Notre-Dame University-Louaize (NDU) in 1995 to obtain an MBA diploma, working tirelessly to pursue my higher education. After graduating from NDU in 1997, I continued my DBA form Newport University – USA, in 2001.

My experiences at each university were vastly different from one another. I was a full-time student during my BA studies, but completed my MBA as a part time student at the old Zouk Campus. Many of my colleagues names pop-up like: Wajih Choueiry, Nelly Derghazarian, Nicole Bardawil and many more, and I am still  in contact with them and many others and currently I am  also a member of the NDU Alumni Association.

I never stopped working hard, pursuing my education, expanding my knowledge, and cultivating friendships at NDU. With my educational and academic knowledge from NDU, I became a bank manager, then a deputy in the Lebanese Parliament.

My confidence in education’s transformative power was at the forefront of my motivation to be an active member of the  NDU Alumni committee alongside my job as a banker. This belief turned into a mission I carry as an MP in the Lebanese Parliament.

Having been elected as a member of the Parliament and a member of the Azm Movement Parliamentary bloc we have placed among our priorities the issues concerning our youth, the future of our country Lebanon. We will support our students in their studies, provide employment opportunities for our graduates in Lebanon, and do our utmost to give them a better life.

It is admirable and commendable that you all want to reach your endeavors and achieve your dreams. My message to you is to work hard, believe in your abilities to achieve and believe in your country, so as to better develop it with your righteous weapon of education.