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In our previous blog, we shared the story of how one of our mentors, Chrysanthi, has been instrumental in creating success for many of our students including Manal.

Manal is a mother of three and a graduate from Udacity’s Data Analyst Nanodegree program and thinks that she couldn’t have done it without her friend and mentor, Chrysanthi.

Tell us something about yourself 

I am Manal Alkallas. I am 45years old. I was born in Syria and live in Frankfurt, Germany. I am married and have three children, one boy who is 15 years old and two daughters 11 and 10 years old. I studied English literature at Damascus University,but moved towards IT after I graduated. I have worked in Shell Syria for 12years as a System Analyst. Then I moved to Qatar and worked for Qatar Petroleum and the office of the deputy prime minister. I’ve always been an ambitious woman and have prioritized educating myself as much as possible. 

When I came to Germany around three and a half years ago, I concentrated on learning the German language for about two years. Then, I moved back to IT. Luckily, I was given a scholarship by Code Door (my bridge to Udacity). This is something I really appreciate.  

When and why did you enrol for a Udacity Nanodegree program? How did it benefit you? 

Back in February of 2019 I enrolled in Udacity’s Data Analyst Nanodegree program. Being that the topic was new, I have three kids to take care of and work part-time, I faced a lot of challenges and difficulties. Statistics was by far the hardest. Nevertheless, because of my mentor, good time management and the continuous support and help from my husband, Loay Alhameadi, I was able to overcome those obstacles. It has benefited me by expanding my knowledge and understanding of ICT. It has also made me a better thinker by helping me find different techniques to solve problems. 

Chrysanthi has been your mentor during the Nanodegree program. What do you have to say about her? 

I, honestly, have nothing but love and appreciation for her. I am so thankful because she was my mentor. She taught me so much throughout the span of just four months. She never declined my requests for help. Chrysanthi became more than just a mentor, she became a friend.  We had video calls regularly to check on my progress and also help me find solutions for challenges I was facing. 

Do you think you could have graduated from the Nanodegree program without a mentor? 

Absolutely not. 

Anything else you would like to add 

I want to thank Code Door again for giving me the unique opportunity to expand my knowledge in this field. I also want to point out how great Udacity’s system is. All the lessons were structured in a professional way. That motivates me to do another Nanodegree program in front end development. 

Ritika Pradhan
Ritika Pradhan
Ritika is the Content Manager at Udacity and is passionate about bringing inspirational student stories to light. When not talking to the amazing Udacity students, she can be found reading an article or watching a video on the internet.