Finding peace and purpose: Saadiah’s journey on the Amala Global Secondary Diploma

This Amala Impact Story was produced by students from St Joseph’s Institution International (SJII), Amala partner school.

20-year-old Saadiah is a refugee in Jordan who recently finished her secondary education through the Amala Global Secondary Diploma (GSD). Saadiah heard about Amala through her friend, who told her that Amala is for young people who have been unable to complete their secondary education. At the time, Saadiah couldn't access the education that she needed, so she joined Amala.

“From my first day at Amala, I was really shocked at the diversity there. All the students come from different religions, backgrounds, cultures and countries. It’s also my favourite thing about Amala - the diversity.”

Saadiah (centre) with her basketball team

Saadiah chose to focus on basketball for her Personal Interest Project (PIP), a core part of the Amala GSD learning programme. She began playing the sport at age 13 and decided to coach younger girls in basketball through volunteering at summer and winter camps alongside her coach. Over the six months that she was preparing her PIP, she learned new skills from other Amala courses that helped her with the basketball project. Although now she no longer plays the sport, she hopes to someday return to it once more.

During her time on the GSD, Saadiah struggled initially with maths, but the Amala facilitators made the subject easy for her to understand, helping her through the Maths for Change course. The hardest thing for Saadiah was evidencing competencies. It proved to be a great challenge for her as it is a different and unique approach to assessment, one she was unfamiliar with before joining Amala. 

Since graduating in 2022, she has been looking for a university, and currently works at a physical therapy centre. While she is still unsure about her future path, Amala has helped her discover possible career opportunities such as law and the arts.

Saadiah presenting her Personal Interest Project (PIP)

Saadiah’s experience at Amala was nothing short of wonderful. She says that she enjoyed interacting with the different students and facilitators, making new friends and meeting new colleagues, spending time with them, whether it be during events, hanging out at night, or simply sharing a meal together. Saadiah believes her attitudes and behaviour today were influenced by everyone at Amala.

“Amala made me keep thinking in a peaceful way. To always want peace, keep thinking about peace and love everyone on this earth. Even if someone hates me, I’m going to love them. I’m not going to hate them or anything. That’s been the positive impact on me.”