The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

One of the hardest stages in life is probably our high school years. After spending years and years of studying, you are suddenly faced with the abrupt reality where you have to face the post-school phase with university applications, choosing a major, and other life-changing decisions. More importantly, you start gradually shifting out of your teen years and defining your identity, part of which is building up your future personal and career skills. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where Traverse 2019 comes into play.

What exactly is Traverse? It’s the largest summit in the MENA region, with over 2000 attendees, dedicated to exposing high school students to an extensive array of opportunities to develop the skills for the present as well as the future. Hosted by iSpark Egypt, the event will take place for its fourth consecutive year on the 11^th and 12^th of October in the Greek Campus, under the theme, “A Trip to the Future”.

Mostafa Hashisha, Co-founder and CEO of iSpark, said, “We are aiming, through Traverse, to surround high school students from the MENA region with all the opportunities they can seize and give them the exposure to build their skills and be prepared for what is after their high school years.” You can check out the company’s Facebook page to learn more about the host.

Brace yourselves for a packed couple of days, filled with mentorship workshops, exchange opportunities, private and international universities, as well as career experts and other influential figures. The spectrum of topics is quite colourful, with scheduled futuristic sessions on aerospace engineering, robotics, music production, and more. Featured speakers, such as talented writer Ahmed Mourad, distinguished filmmaker Dina Emam, humorous influencer Marwan Younis, and taekwondo champion/youngest member of parliament, Caroline Maher, will be wowing the crowds at the summit.

This year, Traverse is kicking it up a notch, aiming for a more global reach. Through collaborating with more than 80 organisations, including the US Embassy and the Ministry of Immigration, international students will be added to the registration list.  Not only that, sponsorship deals with private firms will help and encourage students to access needed opportunities with subsidised fees.

We wish a similar opportunity would have been available in our high school years, but it’s not too late for all of you high school students to seize this valuable chance.