“On a warm, sunny morning in the summer of 2016, I woke up in my family’s home in Ramallah to an email that filled me with overwhelming joy. There it was in my inbox—my acceptance letter from the St Andrews Education for Palestinian Students (STEPS) scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the University of St Andrews. I was so thrilled that I read the letter multiple times before I could truly process and believe what I was reading. I remember the happiness flowing through my body like a river of hope and gratitude. In that letter, my future aspirations transformed before my eyes, turning the big dreams of a young Palestinian woman into concrete reality.

It has been seven years since I received that letter and began my 2016/2017 year in St Andrews, studying for my master’s degree in Social Anthropology. But the emotions I experienced that summer morning in May 2016 were so powerful that I can easily revisit them every time I recall that day. Seven years have passed, and now, as I write this, I am about to complete my PhD in Social Anthropology here in St Andrews. This town has not only fulfilled my academic ambitions within the walls of its excellent university, but it has also become a second home. I have built a family-like community, memorized the streets, shops, and sands like the back of my hand.

I write this letter to express my deep gratitude to the trustees and everyone involved in the STEPS scholarship. Your support has helped me—and many other Palestinian students—reach our academic dreams and turn what once seemed like distant hopes into achievable realities. When I participated in the online STEPS Scholars Alumni meeting on March 8th of this year, I saw the positive impact of STEPS beyond myself. I witnessed it in the faces and words of all the Palestinian alumni, who are now flourishing and pursuing their academic and professional goals. Without the generosity of STEPS and all those supporting it, our lives would not have been the same, and this resilient, small community of Palestinian scholars wouldn’t exist. For that, I thank you all deeply for your efforts and support.”

Manar Kawasmi, March 23, 2023