Eswatini
UWC Global Endowment spotlight: Shreif Abdallah (Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa, 2014-2016)
When Shreif Abdallah was growing up in Cairo, he dreamed of an education that could take him beyond the limits of his surroundings – a chance to see the world, to challenge himself, and to learn in ways that weren’t available to him at home. For many young people, dreams like these remain just out of reach.
In 2014, Shreif applied through the UWC Egypt National Committee. The selection process was competitive, but also inspiring: “It pushed me to engage deeply, exchange ideas and form friendships with some of the most talented young people in Egypt. I still vividly remember the phone call telling me I’d been selected. Even a decade later, my heart races recalling that moment. I knew instantly that my life had changed forever.”
What made the change possible was financial support. His place at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa was fully-funded by the Andresen-UWC Norway Anniversary Fund, which today forms part of the UWC Global Endowment. Without it, Shreif says, the opportunity would have been beyond his family’s reach
The scholarship not only opened doors for me, it lifted an immense financial burden from my family. It turned something impossible into reality.
At Waterford, Shreif discovered just how transformative a UWC education could be. In the classroom, he learned to question, to think across cultures and to find confidence in his own voice. Beyond the classroom, he joined a team of students working on renewable energy, helping to plan how to invest the USD 100,000 Zayed Sustainability Prize to benefit the school and surrounding community. “That experience gave me lessons I couldn’t have found anywhere else – about sustainability, but also about project management, economics and the power of working together across differences.”
The path that began in Cairo led him next to the University of Rochester, where he became a Davis UWC Scholar. There, Shreif studied Computer Science, carried out research, co-authored a publication and began to map out the career he has today.
“Without the extraordinary generosity of Shelby Davis and the Davis UWC Scholar Program, the chance to study at a world-class university in the United States would not have been possible for me. Rochester gave me an environment that challenged and supported me in equal measure.”
After graduating, he worked as a software engineer, first at Citrix and later at Coinbase. What drives him is the chance to take on complex technical challenges that affect people around the globe. “I like solving hard problems at scale – issues that touch millions. Looking ahead, I want to keep working at the intersection of technology and access, making financial systems more inclusive.”
UWC has also shaped Shreif’s personal life. He met his wife, a fellow Waterford alumna, during his time in Eswatini, and today they are raising their daughter together.
“When I think about my daughter’s future, I hope she grows up with the same spirit her parents found at UWC – open to different perspectives and with the courage to connect with people genuinely. She’s already so curious about the world, and I hope that curiosity only grows in an environment that challenges her, feeds it, and gives her the freedom to discover her own path.”
Looking back, Shreif is clear about what the UWC Global Endowment makes possible: “A UWC education is truly transformative. It changes not only the lives of individual students but also the communities and careers they go on to shape. Supporting the UWC Global Endowment means giving young people – regardless of their background or financial circumstances – the chance to learn, grow and encounter perspectives they might never otherwise access. That investment creates ripples of impact that last far beyond their time at UWC.”
A UWC education is truly transformative. It changes not only the lives of individual students but also the communities and careers they go on to shape. Supporting the UWC Global Endowment means giving young people – regardless of their background or financial circumstances – the chance to learn, grow and encounter perspectives they might never otherwise access. That investment creates ripples of impact that last far beyond their time at UWC.
The UWC Global Endowment exists to secure opportunities like Shreif’s for generations to come. With a USD 26 million match challenge closing in December 2025, every gift given now will be doubled. By joining the global community of supporters, you can help unlock millions more for future students – and ensure many more journeys like Shreif’s can begin.
Support the UWC Global Endowment
