Grad student honored as Inspiring Arab Woman

If you have met Claudia Ramly, a UW–Madison second-year PhD student in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, you know that she is a compassionate and outgoing learner.

Even after only speaking to her for about 15 minutes I could instantly grasp the feeling that Ramly is well-deserving of the Women in Business Arabia’s “365 Inspiring Arab Women” selection.

Ramly came to UW–Madison for graduate school, attracted by its outstanding research labs and well-known education psychology department.

Back in December Ramly found out that she was selected to be one of the 365 Arab Women after a friend nominated her.

“I was very very surprised. I had actually forgotten about it,” she said.

Ramly was selected because in 2018 she created the “Hidden Gem Walking Tour,” a tour that showcases the Gemmayze neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. Gemmayze is a town full of historic architecture and has been able to preserve its French, Ottoman, and Lebanese character even after the civil war in Lebanon.

“We will reveal through 11 stops, the hidden gems in architecture, theater, art, and history as we walk down Gouraud Street and through the Sursock Quarter,” says the Hidden Gem Facebook page.

The walking tour is paused now, due to COVID and Ramly being in Madison finishing her studies.

Ramly for a time as a  training and education specialist for medical devices. While she was stationed for her company in Lebanon she discovered Gemmayze. Ramly was not a complete stranger because she had grown up in Lebanon as a child.

“While I was in Lebanon there were a lot of traffic jams by the office and so I would park my car in a neighborhood close to my office and just go for a walk,” she said.

While on her walks, Ramly discovered Gemmayze’s beautiful and historic architecture. Gemmayze is the name of a tree that is no longer in that neighborhood but Ramly became interested and wanted to learn more.

She wanted to document the history and allow people to experience the same things she did. Looking back now, she is grateful that she did, as Gemmayze suffered a terrible bombing that severely damaged most of the neighborhood.

“There was a very big explosion that took place in the Beirut Port. After the explosion a lot of people who had seen pictures of my walking tour were so glad I was able to document it,” she said.

She was also selected for this award because of her work creating the virtual “Lean International Women Circle.”

“Being an international student in Madison and being away from home and I felt a bit disconnected,” she said. “I wanted to create a group for international women who were away from their homes  to talk about different topics that affect the group.”

Ramly says that she wants to encourage other people and not just students to take different opportunities because they might have a huge impact on your life.

“Saying yes to those opportunities will open up a lot of things. Even if you don’t feel ready, just showing up and being willing to learn is good,” she said.