Shereen el-Sayed did not get enough marks in secondary school to join what were known in Egypt as ‘top colleges’.
She had to join the College of Agriculture, a field of study she did not dream of or like.
Soon, however, she turned her frustrations into successes.
She graduated from the same college with honours.
“This was a major achievement for me,” she told the Egyptian Mail.
In 2014, el-Sayed got her PhD in agricultural engineering from Seville University in Spain.
She then worked as the workforce development trainer and remote pilot operator and instructor at the university.
She trained professionals in the use of drones for commercial purposes.
In 2021, el-Sayed made a new professional leap by becoming the director of the Horticulture Technology Programme at Kent State University.
Her doctoral studies focused on issues, such as crop physiology, deficit irrigation strategies, and irrigation scheduling, using soil and plant-based methods.
Her studies led her to great conclusions. One of them was related to the irrigation strategies of olive trees.
Apart from galloping along her field of specialisation, she studied Spanish, setting her eyes on mastering the language.
She said the PhD phase was one of the most formative in her life.
“I got to know many senior professors and my connections considerably increased during this phase,” el-Sayed said.
Nonetheless, el-Sayed’s achievements did not stop here. She pursued post-doctoral studies when she moved to the US.
She now develops a project for the use of drones in the validation of field measurements related to agricultural practices.
“We validate the data we take from the field with the images taken by drones,” el-Sayed said. “We analyse these images, using specialised software.”
El-Sayed is now a certified remote pilot in the US, having taken the necessary licenses to do that job.
She is now obsessed with drones. She trains professionals and startups in the use of these drones.
She is part of a trend of the fair sex taking over the drone field in the US.
El-Sayed carried all her professional experiences as a researcher, a trainer and a lecturer as she joined Kent State University.
“My mission is to develop curricula in accordance with recent developments in horticulture, in general,” she said. “I also co-operate with industrial and research associations inside and outside the state to provide internships or training in the use of these techniques.”
It is uncommon for a woman at such a young age to assume such a position in the US.
But this achievement always contrasts in el-Sayed’s mind the state of despair she experienced when she graduated from secondary school.
This was a time when the future was totally uncertain for her.
She is especially proud because agriculture is usually a male-dominated field. This is true to Egypt and to other countries.
Nonetheless, leaving Egypt and making success in another country was far from easy for el-Sayed.
This was particularly so, given her rural and conservative background.
“I had never travelled outside my home village before,” she said.
She only travelled to the northern coastal city of Alexandria with her family to spend the summer vacation once.
“So, travelling and living abroad on my own was a challenging matter for me, given the different lifestyle and culture outside Egypt,” el-Sayed.
She did not only get accustomed to life outside Egypt, but also mastered Spanish to perfection.
Her perfection of the language helped her participate in a radio programme in Spain.
“This keeps me motivated all the time,” el-Sayed said. “I have always known my responsibilities and targets and this helped me overcome all challenges.”
