Ms. Roula Ghostine

Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics
Gilbert and Roula Ghostine Scholarship Fund

As alumni of USJ (FGM and FSE), my husband Gilbert and I have a strong sense of belonging and attachment to our University. We have always wanted to help the Lebanese youth and especially USJ students.

About 15 years ago, Gilbert started coaching the children of our friends, then progressively, the young Lebanese who sought him out for advice on their academic and professional careers. He never missed an opportunity to come back to USJ to give lectures and talk to students when his workload allowed him to do so. As for me, I started teaching before I graduated. Although there were a few gaps resulting from Gilbert’s professional postings abroad, I did not drift far from USJ. As an instructor and Vice-Dean of FSE, I was regularly tutoring/coaching students who asked me for advice. Following a meeting with one of my students, I decided to set up a scholarship fund.

She was a brilliant second-year student, class valedictorian, and she had decided to drop out of USJ because her father could no longer afford to pay her tuition. Even the financial aid she got was not enough for her. I helped her get a scholarship through an association I knew, so that she could continue her studies at USJ and nowhere else.

This is how Gilbert and I, made the decision to help students through scholarships and not just through coaching. A few months later, we established the Gilbert and Roula Ghostine Scholarship Fund to help students at FGM and FSE. For us, education is a social enabler and serves as a personal and professional academic platform. Our academic background has allowed us both to have successful careers and get to where we are today. Education is a priority, and no student should be denied access to it for a lack of financial means. The need is very great and continues to grow. Everyone who can help should do so. We owe it to the Lebanese youth, and we owe it to USJ. That’s why we are raising awareness of all the people around us who could be potential donors. And fortunately, many are responding and are willing to help.