Women in Engineering: Tara Sabri’s Journey Sustainability in the Notebook World: A feature with Mohammad

“It depends on how open minded people are. If they believe in it to start this. If the employer doesn’t have the vision, it will never happen. It’s a joint effort between employers and a woman wanting to prove and believe in herself”. want to shape cities”, Tara told me. But apart from that she also hopes to be able to bring her passion for facade engineering back to Lebanon someday.

When Tara made her points regarding that changes that begin on an academic level are the most significant, she also reflected back on her time at IC. She started out at Ain Aar, and eventually transferred to Raas Beirut and graduated in the French program. She believes that her foundation at IC was foundational to her success and confidence in this field as a woman. “On a personal level, I’m learning a new field that is just starting in my home country. I feel that I can bring a lot with workshops and classes. Giving the experience of someone who worked in that field. It’s so rare, Lebanese people who are working in that field. No one I know is Lebanese in my field. Especially in facade consulting.”

“So many women start in school and they grow up without diversity. You grow up and you don’t know that you’re powerful enough and you don’t know your worth. I think that the diversity at school really helps in giving you the power to be like ‘ok I can do that’. Even I’m a woman, I can do that.”

IC’s emphasis on building strong character remains in its graduates for years to come. Particularly for Tara, the skills of confidence she gained can be attributed to her time here. “I mean look at me, I studied interior design and I’m now working as a facade engineer. You can be anyone”, she says.

IC is not only recognized for the academic front, but also for the multitude of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and the monumental school values it instills into children from an early age.

“Personality wise, IC empowers the students to have their own character. Choose their friends. Also the fact that IC gives you extracurricular activities and sports. All kinds of sports! The school culture in general lets you be whoever you want to be and this is nice because you go out of it and you’re confident.”

Tara’s Plans for the Future

“I wanted to be part of creating the landscape of cities. I In all of Lebanon, there is only one facade engineering firm, Glassline. But Tara’s field is facade consulting, and it doesn’t exist in the country. “Glassline, they build the facade. They actually have factories. To be a facade consultant is rare in our part of the world”, she tells me.

Tara is essentially a pioneer in her field in terms of Lebanon, and she’s also a woman who is making major headway in working towards change. She is firm in her stance that education is the key to successfully combating the gender disparity in the engineering industry. Like mentioned before, encouraging women to be in the field comes with the inspiration and recognition of successful women just like her.

“I would want to go towards the education part. I’m very excited to do that. It could bring a lot. Especially if they see a woman that has 1o years of experience in facade, maybe they can be like her.”

Tara’s ambitious energy stems from the fact that the playing field is entirely uneven for women on all fronts in engineering. She hopes to play a role in bettering the system from the earliest stages: the academic space.

Tara Sabri is inspirational on all fronts. From the dialogue of gender disparity and pioneering in an industry new to her home country, she is bound to make impactful change on her community. With women like Tara who are making waves and being recognized in the engineering field, there will be other women who can have the courage and confidence to pursue leaving their mark in the industry.

Sustainability in the Notebook World: A feature with Mohammad Bekdache, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Nominee

In today’s world, moving digitally in all forms of communication and expression has become the norm. Furthermore, in such a fast paced global society, being eco-conscious has often been overlooked when it comes to production and businesses. A lot has changed on our planet, and saving the environment on the ground is becoming a challenge.

For IC Alumnus Mohamad Bekdache, the traditional paper notebook will always stay relevant and authentic, and putting sustainability first is one step towards making this earth a better place through a business effort. In fact, Mohamad believed in this so passionately, that he turned the two ideas into his very own online notebook company: Dingbats.

This year, Dingbats caught the eye of Forbes Middle East, and Mohamad had the honor of being listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Middle East list for his innovative work. In the midst of all of his success and recognition, Mohamad is still humble and down to earth, and he has never lost sight of maintaining his values as an ecofriendly company. In this feature, Mohamad shares the story of his journey with the creation of Dingbats, and also reflects back on his heritage and roots.

Mohamad graduated from AUB with a degree in business administration, and went to the UK for his masters in supply chain and logistics management. He landed a job at Amazon UK, and then at Rolls Royce Airspace. It was during his time with Rolls Royce where the birth of Dingbats began in 2016. “I had some more free time. I spent my days in the afternoon until 2 am every day working to launch this business. For around a year”, Mohamad says.

In the beginning, Mohamad was working from his UK apartment.

“Basically we ordered some notebooks from my father’s factory and we got them to my apartment in the UK. We worked and tried to sell them. This is where we got feedback from customers about what they want from notebooks.”

It was also during this time where production shifted to become more sustainable and produce higher quality products. This has become one of the main components of the business altogether. Soon enough, Mohamad’s notebook business started picking up. “After the first Christmas season, the business really grew. We started to expand to other regions as well. Europe and even North America. This is where I decided to leave my job with Rolls Royce”, he explains.

“In the beginning all the notebooks were in my apartment. Then we started getting warehouses. After that, I came back to Lebanon and established offices here. Working from here is very good. It’s nice to be working from home, especially when most of the business is operating outside of the country. It’s good to stick to our roots as much as we can. And to hire Lebanese talent. I also get the advantage of working alongside the family offices as well.”

Mohamad’s idea for a notebook company started from home in Lebanon. “The business was basically an inspiration from the family business, which is the oldest company in Lebanon since the year 1800 working in

paper”, he explains. “I’ve always had a vision when I was small to really expand our family’s household. I’ve been living in a household where paper is everything. I really had a dream to try and bring that to the west as well, as much as possible.”

For Mohamad, the notebook is the most traditional thinking tool. Even today, journaling has become a big trend, particularly bullet journaling. The business was able to positively ride this wave, especially since the trend became increasingly popular. In recent years, Dingbats has expanded into other stationary supplies such as pens and backpacks, and Mohammad hopes to continue to create more products within the brand and expand to newer markets.

Another avenue Mohammad’s business went through was fully implementing the sustainable component. The goal of the brand in particular is to support and raise awareness on endangered animals and species, which is already an eco-friendly mission. On the business side of things, Mohammad tells us that sustainable production hasn’t necessarily been an industry standard. Businesses are often so caught up on profit, and the impact on the environment is overlooked. He explains that to be a sustainable business, you will be required to go out of your way or change a lot of processes, or procure a lot of materials that aren’t available to you or are not the norm. It is difficult to maintain and these raw materials are hard to get a hold of, and they are more costly. But the advantages of that are how you are sharing your message. There’s a way for companies to still focus on their profits and the impact that they have on people through their products and services and even do it in a green way. we leave the planet to our children and our children’s children in a better way than what we have preceded in. What happened to the world especially in the late 90s and early 2000s had one of the biggest impacts on the environment and on climate change. Fighting that from now will really help instead of trying to help it 20-30 years down the line, where it will be too late. The sooner you do it, the sooner you will be able to solve it.”

What makes Dingbats different from other notebook companies is being 100% fully sustainable and ecofriendly, without sacrificing product quality. All of the paper used is FSC certified, meaning the trees used to make the paper were for that purpose only. Natural forests aren’t cut down in the process, which means it’s better for the environment. Dingbats is also vegan certified. In the notebook business, animal-based adhesives or leather covers, but Dingbats took their own alternative route. Lastly, Dingbats has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the UK to support endangered animals and raise awareness. 2% of UK revenue is donated to the WWF, and customers are really able to see how much they are donating. All in all, Dingbats is 100% green.

“We did see a gap in the market for our product that is sustainable and that is of high quality. The entire market became extremely mass-produced where brands started to sacrifice quality and sustainability. So we thought, why don’t we step in and provide people with a greener alternative for their everyday notebook.”

The founding of Dingbats and its overall success is absolutely impressive. “We started with only $100”, Mohammad tells me. Since then, it’s grown so much more. “We’ve been open for 6 years. The business really grew substantially in the first 3-4 years”, Mohammad says. The biggest year for Dingbats was 2020-2021. Covid 19 most definitely brought up some concerns, but being an online business put Dingbats in an advantageous position. “We were able to compensate for that by having a lot of stock available and getting new warehouses. We doubled down on marketing to get people to buy from us. To get new customers. The first month of covid was a disaster, but we were able to manage it successfully to make it the best year so far.”

Like any successful business, Dingbats did have to navigate through some challenges. “Some of the challenges we faced were how to expand into these new regions in other parts of the world in the most efficient way possible”, Mohammad tells me. A big part of having an online business is the question of how to convince customers to buy the product compared to others, especially when

they are only viewing them online. Mohammad tells us that a big part of addressing this was through the concept of building a community, and telling the story behind the product. Since the brand is rooted in being green and supporting endangered species, Mohammad believes that it has a responsibility to be educators in the space of journaling or going green, and by sharing that knowledge. Not focusing on just selling the product. “We would try as much as possible to convince people to have a greener alternative. And raise awareness on problems around the world. We happen to do so by producing a product that is a notebook. But the main motive behind it is the message behind it.” In this sense, marketing and positive customer interactions are the biggest tools for sharing the meaning of the brand, and putting the product out there. “There’s a huge history behind the product, and it gives a lot of credibility to our brand. People naturally like what we stand for and switch over to us. They stayed with us along the years”, Mohamad explains.

Given the entrepreneurial success of Dingbats, along with its positive social and environmental impact, Mohammad was given the honor of being nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30. “When I got the news that I had won, it was a very very exciting moment”, Mohammad exclaims. He has worked so hard these last 6 years, and he points out that along the way, there haven’t been too many moments to celebrate the little successes along the way. The nomination became one of those moments for him.

“The good thing is that it really does give credibility to the business. It is a reward that tells us that we are in the right direction. It was a sense of satisfaction because sometimes you get so caught up in working you even forget that there should be a moment even for you to celebrate what you have done so far, on a personal level too. It meant a lot.”

Though he is so proud of this award, Mohammad wants to continue aiming for more. “It’s just something that keeps us moving forward and pushes us to work even harder. For us this is just the beginning. In my opinion,

we’re just really starting. The success is really when we are able to benefit a lot of lives and provide them with a lot of products that will help them in their everyday life. It’s definitely good to be here, but hopefully we can reach so many new lengths later on that are greater than that.”

As Mohammad reflects on his overall journey, he is grateful for his time at IC. He feels that the international school environment gave him the foundation to work internationally today, as well as providing emotional intelligence. Even the coursework and extracurriculars have played a role in his life too.

“I would never forget the technology class that we had, the art classes, the music classes. All of that has an impact on you in some way or another to shape your future

self. I would also congratulate IC a lot for the amount of dedication that it puts for the extracurricular activities. It can be culture based, art or music based, or sports based. For me, I chose football, this is something that really taught me dedication, working hard, and having a sense of family or a team to be with all the time.”

Overall, Mohammad has combined his passion for entrepreneurship, the environment, and his family business background into Dingbats. He has worked incredibly hard to be where he is today, and IC congratulates him on this moment of success on his journey to many more great things. In the midst of all of his success, he stays true to his values and mission to be eco-friendly and sustainable, and this is admirable and inspirational on so many fronts. We can’t wait to see what all comes next in his bright future.

From Beirut to the Big Apple:

College life at NYU with Naya Karnaby

Every year, IC seniors have been accepted into top universities all around the world. From the well-rounded education and access to top resources, IC students are guaranteed to graduate with success and pursue a future full of opportunities. When going out into the real world, IC has prepared students to start this new chapter in their lives. Starting college is always an exciting time in a young adult’s life, and hearing it first hand from one of IC’s own recent seniors goes to show how great university life is, and how time at IC has a positive impact on the future outside of school.

Naya Karnaby is one of IC’s most recent graduates, and she entered a new season of her life when she started university this fall. She is currently completing her first semester at NYU Tandon, in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. She has had quite an exciting last few months as she navigates through university life and living in a big city. In this feature, Naya shares moments of her life in New York as an NYU student, and positively reflects on her current first semester in university. In addition, she shares her thoughts on IC’s impact on her life, while giving some advice to current IC students when it comes to preparing for university.

Why NYU?

For Naya, NYU was the perfect choice all around. Her father is already here in New York, and she already had some familiarity with the city. Plus, she has always wanted a city life and why not New York, the city that never sleeps?

On a personal level, Naya wanted to expand outside of what was her familiar Lebanese community. “I chose NYU because like I said I wanted this city life experience. I really love New York and I come here often. I wanted to change. I wanted something new and different. Plus you’re in NYC so, why not?” Being at NYU is also a place to meet all kinds of different people from all over the world. “I love the diversity”, she tells me.

Not to mention, the school’s academics aligned with her career goals and interests.

“I love my major”, she states. “It combines everything I wanted to do, like engineering and business together. My major is BTM, Business Tech and Management

engineering.” Essentially, she is studying the business and technology side of the engineering field. from Manhattan to Brooklyn since her courses are at the Tandon branch of NYU. “I love driving!” she exclaimed.

Naya loves being in New York, and being an NYU student is a big part of that. “There’s always something to do. You’re never bored.” she states. “ You feel like you belong in the city because you’re in NYU. You have privileges everywhere because you’re an NYU student”, Naya also adds, “I love Tandon, our campus. You feel like it’s more campus than the buildings in Washington Square.” Naya has got a full schedule this semester.

“On Mondays, I have 2 classes in the morning and then I go back to Manhattan, and I have an online course. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, only one class. And on Friday only one class. I have classes every day basically.”

First Semester Thoughts

For every college student, their first semester is one of the most foundational times in their university journey. From learning about classes and navigating a social and personal life, there is a lot to learn. I asked Naya about how her current semester has been going, and she gave an honest answer. As happy as she is, being somewhere new does take an adjustment period.

“The first few weeks were a bit overwhelming. With a little bit of effort everything got better.”

When it comes to joining extracurricular activities, Naya tells me she’s looking forward to doing more of this next semester. Given how overwhelming the first semester has been on the academic front, finding time to do more takes a bit of effort. Naya spends her time being productive while still seeing her friends. “When I go back home, I like to study with my friends in Bobst, NYU’s library. It’s so nice because we get to hang out and study at the same time.”

Naya spends time with friends she’s made in class and through others in the NYC university community, like Columbia. She’s even maintained friendships with two other IC graduates who are also living near her. On weekends, she sees friends out in Brooklyn, where the night life is great, and sometimes they also come her way into Manhattan.

When there’s free time, Naya and her friends love to explore the city and eat out. Her favorite cafe is Spring Cafe, where she gets smoothies and also spends time studying. She loves shopping and walking around the Soho area too. “There’s this place in Soho called parm. We like to go there every Saturday. They have the best pasta and mozzarella sticks.”

Currently, Naya has wrapped up her midterms, and her final exams are around the corner.

Regardless of the workload and the change, Naya is content. “To be honest, it went by so fast. Like I really liked this semester.”

This first semester has taught Naya a lot of things.

“It’s normal to get overwhelmed in the beginning but you shouldn’t give up. You should always put in effort in working on yourself and your relationships with other people. Study hard in order to succeed in life.” Around NYU’s main campus is Washington Square Park with the iconic arch, and Naya tells me it’s another great place to hang out.

“There’s streets where there’s a lot of tiny shops and restaurants. They have the best boba, it’s a place next to Washington Square. We love to go there and get boba and sit. It’s like a tiny hidden place but they have really good boba.”

Naya recommends that anyone visiting the city checks out the Moma museum (Museum of Modern Art). She personally loves their gift shop.

A Day in the Life

Naya starts her days early with morning classes. She lives at home with her dad in Manhattan, and she makes the early morning traffic commute daily. She’s brave enough to bear the hectic city traffic of New York City– she drives Now that it’s Christmas season in New York, the city is adorned with decor and festivities and there’s a lot to do. “We go to Bryant Park and Rockefeller, and we look at Christmas decorations and walk around the city”, Naya tells me. Naya started out at IC Ain Aar, and then transferred to Ras Beirut. She was in the French section throughout her years. Naya tells me that coming from Ain Aar to Ras Beirut gave her a glimpse into what college would look like.

“Going into a new community, meeting a lot of people, making new friends after being in Ain Aar for 10 years maybe.”

Aside from the passionate spirit and community that IC has fostered to its students and alumni today, the educational components have had long term positive effects in the lives of graduates. For Naya, her education at IC helped her successfully through exams and a heavy workload during this very first semester.

“One thing I realized when I was here is that IC prepared us really well to go to college. For example, They give us a lot of group work and presentations to do that strengthens our character. Which was really helpful.”

As all alumni tell me, IC is always going to be a part of them wherever they go in the world. And for Naya it’s the same. “We love IC, really”, she says enthusiastically. “ We love love love IC”.

Advice to IC Seniors

have to be able to manage everything at the same time. Your social life, your work, and everything.” She goes on and insists not to procrastinate, since work builds up and there won’t be time to finish everything. In her social life, being genuine has been important. “Be nice and kind to everyone, because that is how you’ll make friends”, she tells me.

Lastly, when it comes to change and readjusting to a new place, Naya offers a positive perspective while acknowledging the struggle. “It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you shouldn’t give up. Try, put in more effort to make more friends and go out.”

Naya’s Goals

While Naya is still young with many possibilities ahead of her, she does have some goals and thoughts for her future. In the upcoming year, she hopes to be taking some electives in the Washington Square campus since it’s closer to her home.

Long term, there are a lot of options. “I want to work in a really big company. Maybe as a manager. And be successful in life. Maybe even go to Columbia for my Masters”, she tells me.

Like many alumni who have left Lebanon, the country is still home for Naya. “I want to go back to Lebanon. I hope I can go back when I graduate.” Naya would also love to consider living in New York, because she loves the city.

A year ago, Naya was in the same shoes as many of IC’s current seniors in terms of college applications and making a decision for their future.

She emphasized honesty as a key point. “Be honest with your application. Don’t lie about anything. Be yourself.” Naya isn’t putting too much pressure on herself to figure it all out now. After all, she has time to see where things go. She’s open to letting things fall into place as she continues to work hard and create a life for herself. As she says beautifully, “what comes unexpectedly, is the nicest.”

She also tells me that seniors should look forward to this new chapter in their lives, while also enjoying these moments at IC. “They have to be excited because it’s a very nice experience. But don’t take school for granted. I look back at school days now, and these were the best days of my life.”

Naya also adds some advice from her own experience as a first year student. “You have to be organized”, she emphasized . “That’s the most important thing in uni. You

Conclusion

As Naya’s first semester comes to a close, she has done well and has learned so much. She’s created a positive life in New York City, and manages well between her academic and social life. She still holds onto her roots at IC, and continues to aim for excellence as she continues her journey throughout university. We are so excited to see how she grows, and what she will end up doing in the future!