Esraa Abdelhamied

"Growing up in a rural community, where growth opportunities are limited, and academic success was the only path I've ever known towards a better life, I got a chance to join a STEM high school where I got introduced to a new community to navigate through different student activities and future career options. There was my start point with volunteering and community projects. Even science was harnessed to serve our community challenges. However joining the school in a new city was a fruitful experience, it also highlighted severe environmental problems in urban cities that I have not seen in the countryside. Therefore, I decided that my 5 capstone projects will be focused on climate action presenting different recycling and renewable energy solutions. Getting recognized in national and international science fairs, many of my environmental engineering projects were proven to be effective solutions, however they were not applied in real life. Thus, in my next endeavor as a university student and USAID scholar, I got to build my entrepreneurial skills though many camps, activities, and market exposure. Then, I was ready to launch a startup MVP of my project hopex, automated reverse vending machine. With time, our team leveled up with the project to join global entrepreneurial competitions, incubation cycles, and market partnerships and I wish for that success to continue so that we can further support the climate action SDG and present more sustainable solutions to the Egyptian market. I now feel grateful to all milestones in my journey that somehow merged to help me build the solutions I’ve presented so far. Thus, I always find myself inspired to participate in the civil community to have a realistic view of the community situation and be a part of the solution on all levels whether personal or professional. "