A Learning Community for Trailblazers

Fakira Awawdeh is going places. One of six children, she is the first girl among her siblings to graduate high school, earning the second highest GPA at Kensington Health Sciences Academy. She is also the first in her family to attend college.

Born and raised in the United States, Awawdeh’s parents immigrated to America from Palestine. Though she was accepted to other institutions, she chose the College because she needed to juggle classes and work.

During the spring semester, Awawdeh took five courses, in addition to working 22 hours per week. “In the beginning, it was frustrating and new, but now it’s getting better,” she said.

Awawdeh finds the learning environment to be stimulating, while still being an academically and socially comfortable place to learn. She has her sights set on a nursing career, an interest spurred by her volunteer work at Einstein Medical Center. “Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a nurse,” she said, adding she wants to help the region’s elderly.

This year, Awawdeh was honored during the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s annual mayoral luncheon. She received a $5,000 scholarship that day as a finalist for the Gus Amsterdam Leadership Awards, whose recipients are chosen from the winners of the Comcast Foundation’s Leaders and Achievers Program scholarships. The nationwide program recognizes students for academic achievement, leadership skills, and a commitment to community service.

(Photo above: Mayor Jim Kenney (left) with Comcast Senior Exec. V.P. and Chief Diversity Officer David Cohen (right), Fakira Awawdeh (second from left) and Widchard Faustin)