Author and educator Dr. Jill Derby was elected and served 18 years on the Nevada Board of Regents. She continues her role as a Senior Consultant in higher education governance and leadership.
She has spent the last 7 years as Chair of the Board of the American University of Iraq in Kurdistan, where she initiated the project to film the University’s partnership to provide full scholarships for Syrian refugee kids at a nearby United Nations Refugee Camp.
Derby has a Ph.D. from U.C. Davis where she studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Cultures. The University of Nevada Press has recently published her memoir, When You Dare to Say Yes.
Together they highlighted plight of young people trapped in poverty within the Syrian refugee camps. In cooperation with The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, young Syrian refugees are able to achieve their educational goals and break free of the refugee camps.
It is a heartwarming program and I would encourage those who missed the meeting to view one of the attached video links below.
FINDING HOPE: A Way out for Syrian Refugees (12:46)
FINDING HOPE: A Way out for Syrian Refugees (3:42)
FINDING HOPE: An Artist Uplifts a Refugee Camp (4:35)
FINDING HOPE: Voices of Young Syrian Refugees (5:07)
https://youtu.be/4r8eU0A1388
https://youtu.be/4r8eU0A1388
To make a donation to this scholarship fund, use either option below.
1. Donate Online by going to http://www.auifoundation.org. Select “Make a gift” and select “Arbat Brighter Future”.
2. Check or money order: Mail the check to
The American University of Iraq Foundation
1300 I Street NW, Suite 400E
Washington, DC 20005.
Write “Arbat Brighter Future” in the memo line.