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YOUNG banker Khulood Ebrahim has today spoken of her amazing encounter with some of the world's most charismatic leaders on a course which has changed her life.
Bahraini Khulood Ebrahim was among 300 'leaders of tomorrow', from 50 countries chosen to attend the International Achievement Summit 2007 at Washington DC.
She was joined by fellow Crown Prince Scholars, Nadya Rouben, Khalid Fakhro and Marwa Al Sabbag.
Khulood, 25, a former Isa Town Secondary School pupil, from Sehla, said: "I was very, very, very lucky to be there. It was a life-altering experience to be recognised at such a global level.
"I have never in my life met so many accomplished people together in one place and the experience was simply overwhelming. It was so surreal that I could not believe that I was a part of such an incredible crowd.
"I was struck by the amount of diversity and the number of international students who flew from all corners of the world to take part in this event. They all came from such diverse backgrounds.
"There were no two people doing the same thing. My room-mate wrote plays and another was doing research on how to improve the quality of life of sick people.
"I enjoyed getting to know many of them and exchanging ideas and plans about what we aspire to do in the future. If there was one thing common about all of them it was focus and ambition. They were the best four days of my life."
For the young men and women it was a unique opportunity to interact closely with some of the world's 'Who's Who' recognised for their leadership in arts, business, public service, science, exploration, and sports.
Success is defined by the organisers of the event as a combination of passion, vision, preparation, courage, perseverance and integrity. And what better opportunity can one dream of than meeting a roomful of successful leaders from all walks of life?
Personalities that the young scholars met included the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu, Pulitzer Prize winning author Thomas Friedman, two-time Best Actress Oscar recipient Hilary Swank, creator of Star Wars George Lucas, former tennis champion Andre Agassi and Senator Barack Obama, aiming to be the next US President.
The celebrity names were not revealed until the students had reached Washington. The enormity of the experiences that were to come struck only on the first evening when they were escorted by a police cavalcade. "It hit me when we were taken to the United States Supreme Court and was received in the courtroom by Chief Justice John Roberts.
"I felt humbled and very small and suddenly realised how amazing this occasion was. Our days were planned to the smallest detail. It was especially great as I had never been to Washington DC before."
Khulood was particularly impressed with the selflessness displayed by every leader. She particularly recalls holocaust survivor and Nobel peace prize recipient Elie Wiesel and his message of being motivated and being persistent until one achieves one's goals.
She said: "He was a good speaker who had a way with words. I was touched when he said that surviving hardships has made him a better person.
"Bill Clinton was also an eloquent speaker. His role or contribution to society has not ended just because he is no longer the President of the United States. I understood from him that everybody,y everywhere can contribute positively to the society in the smallest of ways.
"Andre Agassi spoke about finding strength to overcome the disturbances in his life, and being able to turn his success on the tennis court to a vessel to help underprivileged children in need of care and attention.
"In the four days we hardly sat down. We were getting to know each other, talking and sharing incredible experiences at a much deeper level.
"When it all ended we just decided that we felt extremely honoured and decided to try harder and surpass the highest expectations set for us."
Khulood has returned to Bahrain after six years of international education in the US and France to work as a banking executive at Arab Banking Corporation.
She said: "I want to live and reacquaint myself with my country as a 'new me'. If I had stayed back and worked in the US or anywhere else I would have been just another employee. I feel that my country needs my work more than anyone-one else.
"Moreover, my education abroad has trained me to work with people who have different working styles and different attitudes. I have learned to work together in teams and motivate people to work together at the same pace towards similar goals."
Crown Prince Scholars are bright, Bahraini students selected and given complete backing to further their education at world-renowned institutions.
Khulood has completed her MBA from the Paris Graduate School of Management in Paris, France; Nadya Rouben is pursuing her LLM Law with Corporate Finance and International Banking at the London School of Economics; Marwa Al Sabbagh, is pursuing her Master's in Biomedical Research at Imperial College and Khalid Fakhro, is pursuing his Doctorate in Human Genetics at Yale University.
