Interesting little piece in Saudi Gazette on a very successful Saudi student in the US whose academic achievement has won him a place at the Inauguration of the next American President.

Saudi student invited to swearing in of next US president

RIYADH – A Saudi student is among 1,000 personalities from around the world invited will attend the inaugural ceremony for the next US president some six months from now.

Ziyad Al-Shuway’ir was invited not because he is well connected but because he is an exemplary student.

Al-Shuway’ir graduated from a secondary school in Riyadh when he was 18. He wanted to continue his studies abroad but, unfortunately, the Ministry of Higher Education was then not sending students overseas on scholarship. So he decided to pay his way through, packed up his bags and left for the United States.

“I planned to study medicine but I got admission in the College of Architecture at Virginia Commonwealth University, which was incidentally a field my father wanted me to specialize in and for which he had given me the financial support,” Al-Shuway’ir told Arabic daily Al-Hayat.

Al-Shuway’ir proved to be a bright and diligent student from the start, though he admitted that it “was not a bed of roses but full of difficulties which I was able to overcome.”

The university soon gave him privileges not awarded to average students.

He was allowed to take up financial management as an additional specialization.

His moment of triumph came when Stephen E. Lowline, executive director of the National Society for University Scientists, informed him that he was one of the members of the society chosen to attend the inauguration ceremony for the 44th US president.

Margaret C. Reagan, the university’s director of Syllabi, sent him an invitation that said he was selected for being an outstanding student and one of the best “future leaders” of the world.