Ahmed
Ahmed Nehad
Ahmed is a Gazan from Shujaiya. He graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza, where he later became a teaching assistant. Alongside teaching, he worked on employment and economic development projects, collaborating with organizations to bridge the gap between academia and the job market in a place facing sky-high unemployment. Winning the STEPS scholarship brought Ahmed to the University of St Andrews to pursue an MSc in Sustainable Development. Just a month into his program, the Israeli genocide in Gaza began. It was a year marked by unimaginable loss: his mentor and friend Dr. Refaat Alareer was assassinated, and he mourned the deaths of many other loved ones. His family endured repeated displacements under constant bombardment, making it nearly impossible to focus on his studies, especially while living in a country complicit in the genocide against his people. Yet, with the support of the STEPS trustees and the Palestinian community in Scotland, he made it through. Ahmed graduated with distinction,Winning the STEPS scholarship brought Ahmed to the University of St Andrews to pursue an MSc in Sustainable Development. Just a month into his program, the Israeli genocide in Gaza began. It was a year marked by unimaginable loss: his mentor and friend Dr. Refaat Alareer was assassinated, and he mourned the deaths of many other loved ones. His family endured repeated displacements under constant bombardment, making it nearly impossible to focus on his studies, especially while living in a country complicit in the genocide against his people. Yet, with the support of the STEPS trustees and the Palestinian community in Scotland, he made it through.
Ahmed graduated with distinction, completing his dissertation on mainstream international aid and development interventions in Palestine from a decolonial perspective. Now, with Gaza closed and his family trapped, he is stuck in the UK.