Arab America Foundation Announces 20 Under 20 Awardees-Class of 2026

posted on: Mar 18, 2026

For Immediate Release

Washington, DC (March 18, 2026): The Arab America Foundation announced today the awardees of the 20 Under 20 initiatve. Twenty Arab Americans from throughout the U.S. were announced. Judges from different states reviewed the applications anonymously, without identifying names or ethnicity.

Our 2026 awardees are: Beesan Abusneineh, Lillian Al-Tamimi, Laila Ali, Elian Alkhoury, Salma Alouane, Adam Amin, Kyrolos Awad, Liane Bdair, Mia Eldaher, Mariam Fawaz, Marc Girgis, Ruby Honjol, Qamar Khelfa, Kareem Malhis, Ryan Musmar, Yehia Said, Jack Saleeby, Isabella Salti, Sarah Shokr, Ahmad Sukhon.

20 Under 20 is a celebration of accomplished young Arab Americans. The program spotlights students (16-20 years old) who have achieved spectacular success in academics, work/internships, community service, extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, music, the arts, and writing. We also acknowledge achievements that demonstrate outstanding leadership, dedication to a career path, new initiatives, and a commitment to Arab American heritage and culture.

“Our 20 Under 20 awardees are extraordinary young leaders who are already making meaningful contributions to their schools and communities,” said Warren David, co-founder of the Arab America Foundation and president of Arab America. “Their dedication to excellence and their pride in their Arab heritage inspire us and remind us that the next generation is ready to lead.”

The awardees are aged 20 or under, excel in their studies, actively work in their communities to help their peers, and demonstrate a commitment to their Arab heritage. The competition was open to all students who live and/or work in the United States and are of Arab descent. All awardees have shown remarkable leadership in their academics and extracurricular activities. They have exemplified what it means to be an Arab American in an increasingly multinational world.

The Arab America Foundation and its board are grateful for the leadership of the initiative’s coordinators, Nabelah Ghareeb and Elias T. Khalil, and for the prestigious panel of judges.

The 20 Under 20 awardees for the class of 2026 will be honored at the Connect Empowerment Summit in the Fall at a date to be announced.

About the Arab America Foundation

The Arab America Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit (501(c)(3)) educational and cultural organization. The mission of the AAF is to Promote the Arab heritage and empower Arab Americans; Educate Americans about Arab identity and culture, and to Connect Arab Americans to each other and to other communities.

For more information about the 20 Under 20 initiative, click here.

For more information about the Arab America Foundation, click here.

For media inquiries, please get in touch with Claire Boyle, click here.

The 20 Under 20 Awardees, Class of 2026

Beesan Abusneineh

Beesan Doonya Abusneineh is a Palestinian-Iraqi American. She is in the 11th grade at Chadwick School in Los Angeles, California. She loves to travel and to participate in activities and projects that make a positive impact on her community. She is an inventor and patent owner, a calendar designer and publisher, and a student leader on campus. She is proud of her Arab roots and identity and always hopes to find ways to serve the Arab American community and represent its culture and history.

Lilian Al-Tamimi

Lilian Al-Tamimi is a 17-year-old Iraqi living in Boston, MA, but born and raised in Oman. Growing up immersed in Arab culture gave her a strong sense of community and a lifelong curiosity about stories, people, and the world around her. She is a current senior at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science and is an incoming freshman at Emory University as a QuestBridge Match Scholar, studying Neuroscience and Behavioural Biology on a pre-dental track. Lilian enjoys immersing herself in research projects, most recently through an internship at the Han Lab at UMass Chan. Outside the lab, she is the founder and co-president of her school’s Red Cross Club and co-editor of the Brickyard Beat Newspaper. Whether in the lab, the classroom, or on the page, Lilian is driven by curiosity and a desire to give back to the communities that shaped her.

Laila Ali

Laila Ali is a sophomore studying political science at Stanford University. She currently serves as an Undergraduate Senator, representing over 7,800 Stanford students, and works on university governance, budgeting, and civic engagement initiatives, including efforts to hold town halls, maintain on-campus polling locations, and integrate voting education into student orientation. She serves on the Appropriations Committee, helping oversee the distribution of more than $6 million in student activity fees. Laila has interned in multiple state and local government offices, including the offices of State Senator Jerry McNerney, Assemblymember Juan Alanis, Governor Gavin Newsom (Constituent Affairs), and the Mayor of Modesto, supporting legislative research, constituent services, casework, and community outreach.

Elian Alkhoury

Elian Alkhoury is a Syrian scholar, musician, and community leader whose life was reshaped by the Syrian Civil War. During the war, Elian’s family fled Syria and rebuilt their lives in the United States. Arriving as a displaced immigrant and former ESL student, he rose to rank in the top of his class while completing 17 AP courses and earning a 1500+ SAT score. He is an AP Capstone Research Diploma recipient who conducted original biometric research on music and stress reduction. Elian serves as President of the Carroll Medical Academy and founded Save Children of War, raising $3,500 to support displaced Arab refugees. A 3-time All-Region clarinetist and International Clarinet Convention soloist, he blends science, service, and art in pursuit of medicine. While graduating from Carroll Senior High School this year, Elian plans to attend Columbia University and aspires to become a physician advocating for displaced and underserved communities worldwide.

Salma Alouane

Salma Alouane is a freshman at Yale University majoring in political science and economics and a first-generation Moroccan-American from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is interested in going into finance because she has seen how access to resources and opportunity can shape people’s lives. She aims to gain a better understanding of how systems of money and power work and eventually use that knowledge to expand access for others. Outside of school, she paints, especially Arabic calligraphy, as a way to stay connected to my language and heritage. Art gives me a quiet space to reflect and stay grounded, and it feels like a pause from the fast pace of the rest of my life.

Adam Amin

Adam Amin is an Egyptian-American junior at Milton Academy. Adam serves as a Research Associate at both Harvard University and the American University in Cairo. There, he developed “”TURATH,”” a project where he utilizes AI to preserve and translate archival Arabic documents. His research on Egyptology, a cornerstone of Egyptian heritage, was published in The Concord Review, the most prestigious high school journal. Passionate about economic mobility and financial literacy within the Arab diaspora, he hosts the Dollars & Dreams podcast and teaches financial literacy curricula he developed for the International Institute of New England.

A leader on campus and on the court, Adam is the Founder of the AI Club and Co-Heads the Public Issues Board, Microfinance Club, and Muslim Student Association. He serves as Captain of the Varsity Squash team and is ranked #16 in the country. An accomplished orator, he is a National Quarterfinalist in Speech & Debate.

Kyrolos Awad

Kyrolos Awad is a senior at Secaucus High School who qualified to become a Questbridge Scholar and has recently been admitted to Harvard through the Questbridge National College Match. He has an interest in Mechanical Engineering, but his true passion lies behind service and working with others to accomplish meaningful goals. Kyrolos loves to volunteer in local events, whether it be serving in his Coptic Orthodox Church, within his school as an Honors Society member, or in his town as a Boy Scout. Regarding his academics, Kyrolos enjoys teaching and learning all kinds of STEM subjects as president of Secaucus High School’s Science Honors Society and vice president of their Coding Club. For enjoyment, he loves playing sports and leads the Cross Country/Track team as captain. Kyrolos hopes to spread positivity everywhere he goes and continue building relations with the Arab-American community!

Liane Bdair

Liane Bdair is a sophomore at Columbia College of Columbia University studying Political Science and History on the pre-law track. A proud Palestinian American, she is committed to expanding representation and advancing institutional equity. Liane serves as one of three Columbia College representatives in the University Senate, becoming the first Palestinian to hold the role. Previously, she led the Palestinian American Medical Association Youth Branch in raising funds to provide psychosocial rehabilitation to 1,000 Palestinian children affected by trauma. She also serves on the executive board of Columbia’s Arab Students’ Association. Through leadership and advocacy, Liane works to ensure Arab voices are visible in spaces where they have historically been underrepresented.

Mia Eldaher

Mia is a junior at South Fayette High School and a proud Lebanese American. She is deeply connected to the Arabic community in Pittsburgh as the founder of YALLA Pittsburgh, an online directory to support and uplift the Arab community. She is passionate about medicine and research and has participated in a research program at the Hillman Academy Computational Biology site working on genetic variants in coronary artery disease. My clinical research focuses on patients with autoimmune kidney diseases, presented at the National Kidney Foundation. She is a big advocate for women in science and medicine, and recently co-authored an abstract on barriers to attendance at in-person conferences for women. The concept of health literacy as a potent contributor to health outcomes interests her greatly. She hopes to teach it to youth across the USA and worldwide through my initiative of health and finance literacy.

Mariam Fawaz

Mariam Fawaz is a Lebanese American student and community leader pursuing Business Management and Administration. She works in real estate marketing while actively serving in youth leadership and civic engagement roles. Mariam previously served as Youth Director for the Arab American Women’s Business Council and founded DDH Model United Nations, where she secured sponsorships to make educational opportunities accessible regardless of financial background. She has contributed to local civic campaigns and volunteers extensively through faith-based and humanitarian initiatives. Passionate about strengthening the Arab American community, Mariam focuses on leadership, mentorship, and creating opportunities that empower others.

Marc Girgis

Marc Girgis is a first-generation Coptic Egyptian American and a Finance and Marketing student in the Honors College at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business. He has consistently earned Dean’s List recognition and is a recipient of over $90,000 in scholarships, allowing him to graduate debt free in 2027. Marc is the co-founder of Helping Hands Ministry, serving more than 15 underserved homeless communities, and a founding leader of Orthodox Christian School Ministries, a national organization with over ten chapters supporting Orthodox and Coptic youth. He serves as a Sunday school servant and media volunteer at St. Stephen Coptic Orthodox Church and mentors first-generation students through CareerSpring and the Cougar Financial Planning Society. Marc has completed internships in investment banking, equity research, marketing, and sales, and is an incoming Summer Analyst in Asset and Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs in Houston.

Ruby Honjol

Ruby Honjol is a Jordanian-Palestinian freshman at Stanford University, studying Biomedical Computation and Creative Writing. A globally recognized scientist, advocate, and storyteller, she is a Coca-Cola Scholar, United Nations Millennium Fellow, and International Biomedicine Olympiad winner. Through her research at Stanford’s Center for AI in Medicine, the National Institute of Health, and Johns Hopkins University, Ruby develops machine learning models to improve cancer detection and support clinical decision-making. Representing more than 1.5 million cancer patients as an American Cancer Society Legislative Ambassador, Ruby works closely with U.S. Senators to advocate for equitable health policies. As a first-generation student and immigrant who grew up across Jordan, Dubai, and the U.S., she is extremely passionate about education and mentorship. She supports underrepresented high school and college students by leading initiatives with Stanford Women in Medicine, Stanford Markaz, Arab Students Association, and Muslim Students Association. As a future physician-leader, Ruby aims to advance equitable healthcare through research, education, and advocacy.

Qamar Khelfa

Qamar Khelfa is a first-year student at the University of California, Los Angeles, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology & Society and preparing for a career as a physician. A proud Arab American fluent in Arabic, she’s deeply committed to serving her community and creating a positive change. In high school, she founded the Red Cross Club which paved the way for students interested in medicine and served as president of the Ambassadors Club where she organized school-wide events. Qamar has volunteered with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA), helping with community events, organizing fundraisers, and supporting healthcare initiatives for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. A passionate researcher, she’s conducted experiments on oral health and cardiovascular wellness and has gained clinical exposure. She mentors younger students through UCLA’s Mentors for Academic and Peer Support internship program. Additionally, she helps students strengthen their college applications, empowering them to communicate share their stories and achievements with confidence and purpose.

Kareem Malhis

Kareem Malhis is an electrical engineering student at Johns Hopkins University focused on artificial intelligence and applied systems. He graduated from King Abdullah Academy in three years after becoming the first student in school history to skip 10th grade while maintaining a perfect GPA. He is the CEO of Axeris, an AI clinical decision platform that evaluates prescriptions for safety and clinical validity, collaborating with researchers, executives, and technical leaders from leading institutions and global companies. He has built AI systems at Harvard’s Architecture, Circuits, and Compilers Lab and developed machine-learning infrastructure in engineering roles. During high school, he founded The Olive Hope Health Foundation and partnered with Dr. Awni Al Basheer to help deliver an ambulance to the Al Azraq Syrian refugee camp in Jordan.

Ryan Musmar

“Ryan Musmar, a Palestinian American high school senior at Langley High School, is a student leader focused on advocacy, education, and community empowerment. He is the founder of the Hijrah Initiative, which organizes immigration legal workshops across the DC metropolitan area and has offered over 1,500 community members free asylum and visa legal aid through partnerships with mosques and immigration attorneys. Ryan has taught English to Middle Eastern refugees in Jordan, founded an ESL study hall supporting Arabic-speaking IB students, worked towards rebuilding Men Talk Mind, a peer-based mental health initiative for young men, and interned in policy and civil rights advocacy with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

He has also published research on Gaza’s economy, examining structural barriers to economic independence, and has represented his views internationally through diplomacy and public-speaking initiatives. Through his work, Ryan remains committed to strengthening Arab American civic engagement and advancing informed dialogue.”

Yehia Said

Yehia Said is a first-year student at Harvard University studying Government and Psychology, born and raised in St. Louis, MO. There, he founded the Gateway Arab American Initiative, a community effort to preserve the area’s Arab American story through oral history collection and advocacy. The organization has since grown to partner with the Missouri Historical Society and Arab American National Museum to create related programming across the country, including Arab American Heritage Month celebrations and the inaugural Arab American Youth Conference. He has previously served as an Education Development Fellow at the Missouri Historical Society, where he worked on curating Arab American educational content for the Research Skills program and History Exploration Days.

Jack Saleeby

John (Jack) Saleeby is a Lebanese-American Senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri. At 15, he founded Etherveil Studios, a Roblox game development company with 700,000+ weekly players and a 22-person international team. He completed a quantitative research internship, was the #1 ranked contributor on MATLAB, and was selected as one of only two Missouri delegates to the National Youth Science Camp. Additionally, he places on both the Jane Street and IBM Research puzzle leaderboards — at times as the first high schooler to complete these challenges. Jack is a Coca-Cola Scholar RF, DoD SMART Scholarship Finalist, GE-Reagan Foundation National Semifinalist, Elks MVS National Scholar, and DECA ICDC award winner. At school, he serves as Finance Club President, AI Club Co-President, Computer Science Club Vice President, and Co-Founder of Gamers for Mental Health Club. He plans to study mathematics and economics, pursuing a career in finance.

Isabella Salti

Isabella Salti is a junior at the University of Michigan, majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish and a pre-medical concentration. As a proud Syrian-Palestinian, she is the recipient of the University of Michigan Sophomore Honors Award and has co-authored multiple publications in surgical oncology. She currently conducts neurodegenerative research in the Kaczorowski Lab. Her commitment to service is central to her identity. She is the Co-founder and President of We Care Hinsdale, a non-profit that has raised over $14,000 for mental health and Alzheimer’s advocacy. Additionally, she serves as a Medical Assistant and a cultural/linguistic bridge for Arabic-speaking patients in the Chicagoland Area. Inspired by the resilience of her family and the memory of her twin sister, Doreah, she is dedicated to becoming a physician who champions health equity and gives back to the Arab American community by expanding access to compassionate care.

Sarah Shokr

Sarah Shokr is a senior at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, and a proud Iraqi-American. Passionate about empowering positive change within her community, Sarah serves as the founder and president of Give Aid, a youth-led organization aimed at providing Dallas-Fort Worth refugees with health and hygiene supplies by collaborating with local mosques. Additionally, Sarah has integrated her passion for art with community service, playing the violin for patients at hospitals and senior centers while also serving as the international arts track advisor for The Pad Project’s ambassador program, a global network of activists breaking the stigma surrounding menstruation. With her award-winning art centered around her Arab heritage and volunteering as an Arabic teacher’s assistant, Sarah strives to spread her culture with pride. With an academic interest in the intersection of biology and public health policy, she hopes to pursue medicine with the hopes of becoming a physician.

Ahmad Sukhon

Ahmad Sukhon is an Arab-American student and aspiring physician who graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. He has recently been accepted to medical school and will begin his training this fall. He co-founded Avicenna Community Health Screenings, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering free health screenings and medical education across Metro Detroit, and established the first student chapter of the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) at his university to support humanitarian and medical outreach efforts. As a Lead Medical Assistant, he performs clinical procedures while serving as a linguistic bridge for Arabic-speaking patients. His research focuses on health disparities in Middle Eastern populations.

Compiled by Arab America

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