RANDA ABU YOUSSEF

Randa was born in the U.S., and grew up there and in Canada. The first time she visited her family’s homeland of Egypt was when she abruptly moved there when she was 16 years old, after a family health crisis. Being confronted with that new found reality of imperatively living in a vastly foreign culture, with its own set of norms, values, and taboos steeped in tradition and Middle Eastern identity, certainly shaped how she developed as a young adult. As she progressed through academics, which took her from medical school in Egypt, to Master’s study in Sweden, and to her current PhD study in England, her split background gave Randa an appreciation of global citizenry.

“Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions”

Q: TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, AND ALSO YOUR LIFE'S STORY!

I grew up from birth until high school in the USA and Canada then attended medical school in Alexandria, Egypt. I worked there as a general physician and junior lecturer of the medical teaching faculty before pursuing postgraduate research abroad, completing a Master’s degree in Lund, Sweden.  I am now studying my PhD in clinical neuroscience in Cambridge, England.

Having spent the first half of my life in North America, and the second half mostly in Egypt, I usually pause when people ask questions about ‘my country’ or about the place I consider home. That’s because I don’t feel either is exclusively my home.

The US is where I internalized life principles of freedom and individuality; there, concepts like pushing for change, challenging the status quo, and standing up for what you believe in, were part of my American upbringing. Moving all of a sudden to Egypt at age 16 was like an alternate universe, where tradition, hierarchies, and semi-quelled acquiescence abound.

I haven’t lost my childhood drive to speak up, and I do not substitute society’s thoughts for my own, traits I believe have to do with my American upbringing. At the same time, a big part of me is because I lived my adult life in Egypt. That is, I embrace the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern way of life, with its humorous chaos and social warmth.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD AS IT IS TODAY? AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF A BETTER WORLD?

The world is at times beautifully chaotic (with emphasis on chaos), other times chaotically beautiful (emphasis on beauty). I think this describes all periods of life. Different challenges occupy different time periods.

In today’s world, the concept of ‘being woke’, also known classically as enlightenment, could go a long way in making a better world. If we each look back five, ten or fifteen years ago, and see what we each thought and believed then, we often cringe at the immaturity, closed-mindedness, and tunnel vision we may have had, and how that former self-version is vastly different from our current self. Actively aiming to reach that level of enlightenment, without waiting for life to eventually bring us there, would help us all in being attuned to the world’s complexities. That’s why I think that expanding one’s horizons and discovering different viewpoints should be a lifelong endeavour.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES IN YOUR SOCIETY?

I now live in the UK, but am not sufficiently aware of Britain’s challenges, apart from the elephant in the room, Brexit.

In Egypt, trying to make ends meet is such a challenge, that it keeps a lot of people from pursuing higher goals, like civic activism and self-development. Egyptian life is very much the lower rungs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As a consequence, so many of Egypt’s youth are forced to put all their efforts into remaining solvent. Ambitions to explore this world, to invest in activities other than their career, and to participate in community service seldom are options to pursue. I think this stifles a society’s progress, and it is sad that there are so many missed opportunities because of the need to focus on vital needs.

Q: AS A YOUNG INDIVIDUAL WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE HURDLES THAT YOU HAD TO OVERCOME UP UNTIL TODAY?

My inner hurdle of determining my self-value based on the approvals and rejections that I receive as I go through life. It is far too unstable a strategy to use, but it also requires a high level of assuredness to overcome, a level I have not reached yet.

Q: WHY IS THE ROLE OF A MENTOR IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

Initially, I imagined that having a successful person, who has gone through their own hoops, as a mentor would mean direct trickling of their mindset to the mentee, which would more easily lead to the mentee’s success. Gradually though, I’ve realized that such a ‘shortcut’ to a successful mindset is not something that is passed on, despite its proximity by means of a mentor.

I think a good mentor is one who helps you navigate, through your own journey, your own path to a successful mindset. We can’t embark on each other’s journeys, and reaching that mindset comes after very different paths each of us takes. But a good mentor is one who helps a mentee navigate their own journey to such a mindset, with the help of the mentor’s own experience and knowledge.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A LESSON THAT LIFE HAS TAUGHT YOU AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.

Q: NAME A PROJECT, A FOUNDATION OR A PERSON IN YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU THINK IS DOING GREAT WORK IN HELPING IMPROVE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!

Children who live on streets (unjustly labelled ‘street children’) constitute a grave, widespread crisis in Egyptian society, seen on a daily basis. These children often come from homes with violence, abuse and incest. Many peddle small wares in the streets, like tissue packs, flowers, and mint leaves, to return their tiny earnings to their family at the end of the day, or to some ‘supervisor’ in exchange for a roof over their head at night and something to eat. Still, many others live and sleep in the streets, with all the dangers that entail.

There are several organizations working to rehabilitate and take care of these children, like Banati Foundation, yet there are not nearly enough of such programs.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN IN YOUR COUNTRY FACE AND WHAT EFFORTS ARE MADE TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY?

Sexual harassment and assault is a major problem for young women and girls in Egyptian society. The problem is compounded by society’s perception that what a woman wears is naturally a contributing factor to men’s behaviour. Furthermore, sexual assault and harassment go overwhelmingly unreported, out of fear of not wanting to ‘rock the boat’, ‘cause a scene’, be subject to stigma and gossip, and genuine fear. This makes it a daily problem to Egyptian women and girls, leading to mental scarring, suffocation, indignation, constant wariness when in public places, anxiety, and fear.

Egypt has a long way to go in changing the perception of society, so that blame is never placed on a woman’s appearance, and punishment is levied on transgressing men. In addition, old traditions must be uprooted, and there needs to be a new culture of urging women to come forward, as their silence will only act to maintain the power inequality between men and women when it comes to sexual assault and harassment.

Q: ATHENA40 IS THE FIRST EVER GLOBAL SELECTION OF THE TOP 40 WOMEN FORWARD THINKERS, COMMENTATORS, ACTIVISTS, AUTHORS, ACADEMICS, ENTREPRENEURS, EXECUTIVES, INNOVATORS. CAN YOU THINK OF A TRULY INNOVATIVE AND FORWARD-THINKING WOMAN FROM YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU WISH TO NOMINATE FOR THE ATHENA40 GLOBAL LIST?

Muniba Mazari (from Pakistan, not Egypt) inspires me. She did not withdraw from society after suffering a permanent spinal cord injury early in her life. She is a goodwill ambassador to the UN, a motivational speaker, and an activist. Through her actions, she shows that we should acknowledge pain, keep striving, and not stop when we think life is over.

Likewise, Salma Elzarka, a young Egyptian woman, has an attitude towards life that embodies inspirational leadership and the sheer power of the mind. She has not let her battle to cancer and her right arm amputation stop her from being a young woman chasing after her life goals.

Q: SHARE WITH US A PHRASE, A POEM OR A STORY THAT YOU LOVE OR YOU FIND INTERESTING!

”It always seems impossible, until it’s done”. -Nelson Mandela (and perhaps also hundreds to millions of people who’ve achieved their goal after sacrifice and struggle)

Q: TELL US ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR MENTOR.

It often looks like people have it all together, from their self-confidence to their purpose, to understand themselves. More so for successful people in the public sphere. Yet my mentor, John Kittmer, has discussed with me that even highly successful people can experience self-questioning and doubt while fulfilling a high-profile role such as an ambassador. Hence, that feeling of inadequacy should not be a barrier to moving forward.