El-Gouna – World renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, scientist and humanitarian, Sir Magdy Yacoub, visited Manara School in El-Gouna to address the student body on the importance of education, leadership and ethics as th each carve their individual paths. He also emphasized the importance of placing serving one’s community at the center of every decision they each make throughout their lives.
“I think values are the very most important thing in life,” Dr. Yacoub. “Unless you have values, you have nothing you’ve lost yourself. So how do you acquire these values? By realizing that you need to have aspire to high things.”
The professor also shared with the students insights about the importance of seeking opportunities to gain a global perspective in education and the human experience as one the most important ways to combat ignorance.
“You have to travel abroad for several reasons,” he said. “One, to know the rest of the human race and belong to them. And the second is to learn. In my case, heart surgery was actually happening in Egypt [when I first became a doctor], but not compared to [the advances] going on in the US or Sweden. That has changed with time because things developed here. So, we’re working very hard, many people, including this institution, to have opportunities in Egypt which are equivalent to what happens abroad. It is essential. If you have centers of excellence here which are equivalent to, and now in Aswan, almost better than, what happens in the US or UK then that’s fine. You don’t have to go abroad.”
The full-day visit saw the entire school body – including students, teachers and staff – along with school founder, Naguib Samih Sawiris, greet Dr. Yacoub as he arrived on campus. This was followed by a closed question-and-answer session by students who hold leadership roles within the school body as part of Manara’s Student Leadership Program. They were given a rare opportunity for one-on-one time with the doctor. During this session, the students asked Dr. Yacoub before the full school body gathered in the auditorium for a student-led symposium.
“Dr. Magdi being here is the story of Manara. He is the story of Egypt. He is the story of every Egyptian leader,” stated school founder Naguib Samih Sawiris. “For me, Manara is a personal commitment to Egypt. Our country is filled with exceptional talent, and our responsibility is to cultivate leaders who combine intellectual excellence with character and a strong sense of duty. Sir Magdi Yacoub embodies the standard we aspire to at Manara: excellence grounded in humility, ambition guided by service, and global achievement rooted in Egyptian identity.”
The idea behind the visit was to allow the students to meet and hear directly from Dr. Yacoub, one of the world’s most celebrated medical professionals of his generation, who himself used his education in Egypt and later in the United Kingdom to excel as a surgeon and a pioneer of many medical techniques that are currently used all over the world to treat cardiovascular cases that would have been deemed untreatable had it not been for him. However, it is his commitment to passing on this know-how on to others that Dr. Yacoub sees as his truest wealth. “My proudest achievement is sharing knowledge with others, and teaching future generations.”
Students from various grades took turns to interview the beloved doctor with questions and Dr. Yacoub took the time to answer each question and to share insights that come from a combination of tremendous experience both as a doctor but more importantly, as a human being.
The visit was part of the Manara’s mission to offer students from all over Egypt and the region the opportunity to gain a world-class education, on par with that offered by the world’s most renowned private schools, in Egypt. Equally, the school strives to instill in its students core values of leadership as an equally important component to building future generations.
“Manara’s value lies in its ability to offer a truly transformative educational experience,” says Tood Cuddington, Head of School. “Beyond strong academics, Manara provides distinctive leadership and service opportunities that are rare elsewhere in Egypt, helping students develop confidence, responsibility, and a commitment to the greater good. The merit of Manara is found in its consistent focus on shaping principled, capable graduates who are prepared not only for university, but for meaningful and impactful lives.” That is why Cuddington sees hosting Dr. Yacoub as an opportunity for students to see a national Egyptian hero, discuss leadership with him, and learn his philosophy on humility and giving back, which will leave a lift-long impact on the students.
It was in this spirit that school founder Naguib Samih Sawiris announced the creation of the Magdi Yacoub Student Leadership Award to be given at the end of the current school year to the student who demonstrates the most humility in service. Sawiris would then donate USD 5,000 in the name of the winning student to the Magdy Yacoub Foundation.
Following the assembly, Dr. Yacoub had the opportunity to tour the school facility including an exhibition of artwork by his beloved aunt Eugenie, who passed away when she was very young due to cardiovascular complications following childbirth. Her passing from what was, even at the time, a curable heart problem is what first set Dr. Yacoub on his medical path.
