ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A prestigious university in the Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province, the American University of Kurdistan (AUK), has awarded full scholarships to two Kurdish students from northeast Syria (Rojava) who achieved top scores in Syria's secondary school examinations shortly after they appeared in an interview with Rudaw.
Aland Hussein and Terehiva Hassan were hosted by Rudaw's Dilbixwin Dara shortly after their exam results were announced, showing they had achieved 99.8 and 99.9 percent, respectively.
"We used to study five or six hours a day, and as time progressed, we studied more. In the last three or four months, our studying became 10 to 12 hours a day," Hussein told Rudaw. He said understanding lessons, rather than memorizing them, was key to his success, adding that he wishes to pursue his studies in medicine.
Meanwhile, Hassan said she studied hard "despite difficult conditions."
"We saw a lot of hardships and difficulties," she said, adding, "We went through many bitter obstacles until we reached these levels." She dedicated her achievement to her late father, Kurdish artist Jwan Hassan, who died last May, saying she hopes to fulfill his dream of her becoming a doctor.
In January, Rojava was the scene of weeks of escalation in which Syrian government forces and affiliated armed groups seized territory previously held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasaka provinces.
The SDF, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava and remains a key partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), had controlled these areas since driving out the extremist group during the war against it.
The escalation prompted waves of displacement, primarily among members of the Kurdish community, before the clashes ended under a January 29 agreement that established a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, along with provisions for integrating Rojava's civil and military institutions into the Syrian state.
Following their appearance on Rudaw, the two students' interview went viral among Kurdish social media users.
For its part, the AUK was quick to offer both students scholarships covering full tuition and study-related expenses throughout their university education, with administrators confirming to Rudaw that the awards are fully funded.
The university currently has 1,078 students and has graduated 583 since its establishment in 2014, with 71.9 percent of its students studying under scholarship programs and 28.1 percent paying their own tuition, according to administrators.
The scholarships also align with an existing AUK program that reserves five fully funded awards each year for Kurdish students from Rojava who meet the university's academic and admission requirements.
