Education is essential to pursue one’s dreams. It develops critical skills and helps us achieve success and become the leaders that will build the future. 

Education is especially important for refugee communities, helping them feel like they belong after having to flee their country. 

A lack of resources keeps many Syrian refugee students from school, instead having to help their parents make a living, pausing their dreams and hopes. 

In 2016, we launched Karam Scholars, which assists Syrian refugees in pursuing a higher education degree. 

The aim of the Karam Scholarship is to ease the financial burden of university students so that they can lead society into the future, contribute to their communities, and develop themselves academically and socially. Karam Scholars have goals for the future, an awareness of their environment and society, diverse qualifications, and the drive to develop themselves at university. 

2016

We began by awarding ten students in Turkey micro-scholarships for one college semester and funded college prep courses for one student. 

In Jordan, we awarded 12 students scholarships for one semester, and in the US we awarded nine students with micro-scholarships at partner universities and college preparatory schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Johnsbury Academy, OPC Berklee College, and Nuvu Studio. 

This was the foundation upon which more and more refugee youth would pursue the education they need in order to be the artists, doctors, engineers, and architects of our future. 

2017

We supported 68 students by providing gap funding for Syrian university students in Turkey; tuition support for a select group of students in Jordan; and mentorship, tuition support, and gap funding for resettled high-school-age Syrians in the United States. 

We also provided mentorship throughout the university application and testing process.

31 of our students were living in Turkey, 17 students in Jordan, and 8 in the US

2018

We supported 114 students: 47 women and 67 men. In 2018, eight university students graduated with degrees ranging from pharmacy, film studies, and medicine. Students completed 5,472 volunteer hours. 

2019 

By 2019, 138 Karam Scholars were in university: 115 in Turkey and 23 in Jordan. 14 had graduated from university: nine women and five men. This year, Scholars completed 4,032 volunteer hours. 

2020 

In 2020 174 students received financial support: 57 females and 117 males. Karam Scholars spent 6,576 hours giving back to their community or on personal growth. This year was especially difficult for our scholars due to COVID-19. They decided to dedicate their volunteer hours instead to building skills that grow them as individuals since volunteer opportunities were no longer an option. 

2021

170 students were supported with the tools needed to build their futures. Those students completed 13,536 hours of volunteer work, and 140 students attended scientific forums put on by the Scholars team. 

2022

Karam Scholars has gone through many changes:

1. An increase in services provided: academic support; support in CV writing, CV feedback, volunteer courses, and professional development connections; and the opportunity to mentor Karam’s IE students with college prep workshops. 
2. Rules of the scholarship: communications are done through email to teach students professional communication, and they must maintain a 2.5 GPA and complete a minimum of 48 hours of volunteer work. 

This year, the Karam Scholars team built a new application system— one that best fits our goals and values as an organization. 

The Karam Scholarship Evaluation Chart:

• Age: Due to the fact that many individuals’ education was disrupted when they had to leave Syria and seek refuge in other countries, without proof of their progress, the Karam Scholarship has no age restrictions.
• Academic Performance: Academic achievement is a key characteristic of future leaders. Therefore, Karam considers academic achievement or its potential an important element to be awarded the scholarship.
• Financial Status: The Karam Scholarship aims to support students who have financial difficulties and cannot fulfill their potential due to financial challenges.
• Social Activism: such as awards, clubs, and volunteer work. Karam Scholars expects students to be active contributors to their communities.
• Gender Balance: Karam Scholars aims to achieve balance in the number of supported female and male scholars.
• Language Proficiency: In order to be academically successful and/or to actively participate in university social life, scholars must be able to understand and explain their thoughts in Turkish. Therefore, all interactions with the applicants whether oral or written were in Turkish, except for those starting their university gap year (language learning year).
• Life Purpose/Perspective: Future leaders are expected to have a futuristic perspective of life. They must be able to envision their reality and possibly their communities’ a few years beyond the present. 

This year, candidates were asked to record and submit a video during the interview phase. Interview questions have been prepared by the Karam Scholars Program Team in collaboration with Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center.  

We received around 3,400 applications.651 applicants passed the initial screening: 333 females and 318 males. After the video screening, 101 applicants were moved directly to the interview: 57 females and 44 males. 

Karam’s team came up with a scoring system to evaluate the applicants. After calculating and reviewing the interviews, we accepted 75 students in Turkey: 55 female students, and 20 male students. 

Over the past six years of the scholarship, we’ve seen many of our students achieve success in their professional and personal lives. From developing apps to joining big companies to inspiring others. Our favorite part is checking in on them and following them to see where they are in life today. We always hear, “If it weren’t for Karam, I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” and, “Karam has changed my life, and I hope it changes someone else’s life.” 

We do this work because of these young men and women who, despite the hardship, are always hopeful and ready to pursue their dreams. 

Join us in supporting those young Syrian refugees on their path to leadership by donating today!

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