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Amal Clooney Launches Scholarship for Lebanese Women

posted on: Dec 19, 2015

Kristen Bellstrom

Fortune

 

Amal Clooney is a triple threat: Successful human rights lawyer, glamorous wife of actor George Clooney, and now, patron of young women seeking an international education.

Clooney is partnering with nonprofit 100 Lives to create a new scholarship for young Lebanese women. Each year, the award—which will be known as the “Amal Clooney Scholarship”—will send one female student from Lebanon to WC Dilijan College, a co-ed boarding school in Dilijan, Armenia, to enroll a two-year international baccalaureate program.

“This scholarship will give young women from Lebanon the opportunity of a lifetime,” Clooney, who was born in Lebanon, said in a statement. “Cross-cultural learning and studying abroad can be transformative.”

The first winner is Pamela Tebchrany, a Lebanese student who graduated top of her class and is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

100 Lives is an “initiative rooted in the events of the Armenian Genocide,” which aims to strengthen cross-cultural education and understanding. Amal is not the only Clooney with ties to the organization: George, who has talked about learning about Lebanese culture from his wife, is the co-chair of the group’s $1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, which goes to “those who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive.”

“As a leading human rights barrister and campaigner, Amal Clooney is an inspirational role model for young women around the world,” said 100 Lives co-founder Ruben Vardanyan in the same statement. “She exemplifies integrity, compassion and dedication—and typifies what it means to be a global citizen across all cultures.”

Source: fortune.com