Greetings from a new Doctoral Researcher

This is Aya Elkholy, from Cairo, Egypt. I have recently gotten accepted in the FILOTO program. I have a multidisciplinary background; a bachelor’s degree in dentistry, but only practiced for 3 years as a dentist, then I shifted my career to teaching in k-12 for over 9 years following my passion for teaching. I then started my Master of Arts in International and Comparative Education at the American University in Cairo (AUC), where I left k-12 driven by my new passion for research. I worked on a couple of research projects during my MA fellowship, and when I graduated, I started teaching as a part time instructor at the Professional Educator Diploma program at AUC. I am a mother of 2 and a coffee person ☕I love slow mornings, reading and music 😊 My published research so far is in Education for Sustainable Development, STEM, and Science Education. I am advocate for Inclusive Education, and this was the reason why I applied for this program, hoping that through my research, I can help make a change for Persons with Disabilities in Educational settings.

I’m excited to begin my PhD research at the University of Eastern Finland. My research explores the well-being of students with disabilities in vocational education and training (VET) through the Capability Approach. I am particularly interested in understanding whether providing students with the right conditions, opportunities, and support can strengthen their agency, their ability to make choices and pursue goals they value—and how this, in turn, influences their well-being. With the cross-context design of this research, I am particularly excited to work within a multicultural research environment and learn from diverse perspectives on this topic.

As I begin this journey, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Kaisa Pihlainen, whose guidance and support have been invaluable throughout the process of developing this research proposal. I am also deeply grateful to my Egyptian supervisor, Dr. Soha Elzalabany, for her insightful feedback.

One of my favorite quotes is “You don’t have to do something huge to make a huge difference”- Mel Robbins.

I can’t wait to start this learning journey, meeting people with a shared passion for learning and making a difference!

The photo attached is taken at the beautiful campus of the American University in Cairo.