Dina’s Dream: To Become Her Family’s First Doctor
Her Story
Dina Ayman Hajjaj, a fourth-year medical student at Al-Azhar University, hopes to become her family’s first doctor—a dream she shares with her father. Growing up with a sister who has been blind since birth has shaped her interest in addressing the healthcare needs of people with disabilities.
Living in a tent, Dina understands the challenges of protecting health during displacement. Through volunteer work and her camp’s health committee, she has helped families understand the risks of contaminated water and ways to prevent disease. These experiences have made preventive medicine central to her vision of serving displaced communities.
She has also volunteered at Al-Shifa Hospital while pursuing her studies amid financial hardship. Her family faces the combined costs of educating three university students and meeting ongoing medical needs, making the path to graduation increasingly difficult.
The Impact of the Scholarship
The Samir Scholarship covers Dina’s tuition until graduation, easing a financial barrier that threatened her ability to complete medical school.
This commitment helps her plan beyond the next semester and work towards a future serving Gaza’s hospitals and displaced communities, with particular attention to preventive medicine and the healthcare needs of people with disabilities.
“After graduation, I hope to work in local hospitals and continue volunteering in the camps, particularly in preventive healthcare and healthcare for people with disabilities.”
– Dina Ayman Hajjaj