The Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund (DKSSF)

About the DKSSF

The Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund (DKSSF) assists highly qualified Arab students from underserved populations in the Middle East and North Africa who seek to pursue their undergraduate studies in the United States, but lack the financial means to do so.

The DKSSF makes it possible for Amideast to identify and help students of exceptional accomplishment and promise through the complicated process of applying for the scholarships they need to complete their undergraduate studies at an institution of higher learning in the United States. To date, the DKSSF has matched more than 150 deserving young men and women from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen with scholarships at colleges and universities across the United States.

DKSSF scholars bring their experiences and insights to their college communities, contributing to and enhancing the intellectual dialogue at host institutions. In the process they are furthering Amideast’s mission of strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the MENA region.

How it works

The resources in this special fund enable Amideast to provide the services that assist several candidates each year to apply and qualify for four-year scholarships to select U.S. institutions of higher learning. To accomplish this, we do the following:

• Amideast administers an extensive region-wide search through our country offices, EducationUSA centers, and other networks to identify applicants of exceptional accomplishment and promise
• Amideast staff provide a full range of services, including academic advising English-language enrichment, testing services, and travel expenses, for up to two years to assist scholars through the lengthy, and often complicated, testing and application process
• Working directly with U.S. institutions of higher education, students, and families, we match scholars to select American colleges or universities willing to provide scholarship resources to fund candidates’ completion of four-year undergraduate degree programs in the United States

For more information on the DKSSF and to learn how to apply, please contact the Amideast office in your country, or email DKSSF@amideast.org.

Until May 2015, the DKSSF was also offered for students from the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian students should instead apply to the Hope Fund, a similar scholarship program for Palestinian students.

History

The DKSSF was established in 2006 in memory of Amideast Senior Vice President Diana Kamal, a recognized leader in the field of international educational exchange and an individual with a lifelong commitment to improving understanding between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. To honor her memory, this fund identifies talented young Arab students and matches them with scholarship opportunities at U.S. colleges and universities.

Participating colleges

More than 50 U.S. colleges and universities have generously supported the DKSSF and its mission of expanding educational opportunity for bright, underserved Arab youth: