An Interview with Tarek and Shirine Aggad
P’15,’18,’19,’24

What encouraged you to enroll your kids at King’s Academy?
My nephew Omar was the first one from our family to attend King’s Academy back in 2011. My brother was living in Saudi Arabia and his son, Omar, was a week boarder at King’s.

When it was time for parent-teacher conferences, my brother couldn’t make it to the school and asked me to go with Omar and meet with his teachers. That was my first introduction to King’s. It was very impressive to see how students are respected and given the space to represent themselves, and very apparent that King’s puts a lot of effort into developing the personality of these students, where they can freely and respectfully criticize and state their opinions in class.It was remarkable to meet with the teachers and be reassured that they are well-equipped to deal with students and understand their needs.

After becoming a King’s parent, did the school meet your expectations for your children’s education?
After deciding to move Rana, my oldest, to King’s, we started noticing positive changes right away. Compared to the curriculum at her previous school, the AP system at King’s was more suitable for her character as it encourages students to be more self-confident. Rana was always a shy student, but King’s helped her grow and develop a stronger personality.

As a family, you have always generously supported King’s in different areas, such as the science department, the science lab, the arts department, and through an endowed scholarship for Palestinian students. What compelled you to give over the years?
Supporters of King’s Academy sometimes hear a lot of criticism for giving to King’s. You would arguably be able to support many more students at a cheaper institution, but I have my own opinion on that. I always refer to my own father’s history and base my support to King’s on that. My father grew up in Palestine and has a very modest background. This was during the British mandate in Palestine. He was clever and a super achiever, which is why the British government granted him a scholarship to attend Al-Rashidiya Secondary School in Al-Quds where he later received another scholarship to attend Manchester University. My grandfather owned a small corner shop and could not afford to give my father this education.

This has taught me that the impact one individual can make — given you get the right individual and the right circumstances — by truly investing in one student’s education, can be much bigger than providing a mediocre education to 50 kids. Of course, you can provide for both scenarios, but selecting an underprivileged Palestinian student, God knows what impact they will have in the future. The ideal scenario is that this student goes through King’s, gets a scholarship at a great university and becomes a person of impact.

Why did you feel like the King’s Academy campus was the best location for the construction of The Omar A. Aggad Observatory, which houses the biggest telescope in the Kingdom, and is very special and meaningful to you and your family?
I have a special affinity towards King’s, so I am doing it for the community. It was so wonderful to see all these scientists and enthusiasts that have access to it now! I am hoping that King’s will give access to all academics in Jordan to be able to come to the school and use it.

My whole family is tied to the school, so choosing this location came naturally to me. If I want to do anything in Jordan, King’s is the first place that comes to mind. To be honest, the observatory is somewhat like giving a gift to myself as well, I have always been fascinated by astronomy and am grateful to have access to this beautiful equipment.

I am very impressed and proud of how it turned out. A very beautiful architectural piece to have my father’s name on it, and a great way to honor him.

What role do you think King’s plays in our society and the future of the region?
community at school. We have a lot of nationalities at King’s and I am very interested in the Pan Arab nature of it. All the students we have from the region, creating this community and connection between them, generation after generation, these students will become leaders in the future and it will tie people together.

Saja, the youngest of your four kids, graduates soon. How will your relationship with King’s continue afterwards?
My relationship with King’s will always remain. There will always be things to do for the Palestinian students at King’s. I also look forward and am eager to see how King’s will develop in the future. The endowment fund we have will continue our relationship for many years to come.

Ever since I was on the Board of Trustees, I have been interested to know how King’s is doing and how it is developing. Everyone has great dreams and hopes for the school and we will stay around to support and help it reach those goals.

Being a parent of four King’s students, what impact has King’s Academy had on your children?
King’s creates a level of self-confidence that is very astonishing. You may not see it as a parent at home, but you always see it outside with others. Saja was a very shy individual and she is now the lead actress at school plays and performances. We just attended one of her performances and she blows us away, time after time, with the confidence she has gained. Personally, I don’t think I have the courage she has on stage or in public speaking. At the age of 16, Thaer attended a meeting with me once and surprised me when he started participating in the meeting and speaking his mind. I think the respect teachers and administrators give to students creates the high level of self-confidence for them.

What message would you like to share with other parents and the community on the importance of supporting King’s Academy?
King’s Academy is a rare institution in the region, and it is developing a whole new generation of youth who have the potential to positively impact the region. I would encourage people, and especially parents who are able, to support this “Cinderella story”. Capable children should not be limited by finances. These students should be able to get a King’s education which can then help them secure scholarships to pursue higher education.

This Cinderella story is important: an underprivileged Arab child should have the opportunity to go out and excel in the world, with the end goal of leaving an impact. The more support we give to King’s, the better the outcome.