Shahd, 23, graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Islamic University of Gaza. Since middle school, she has had a heightened awareness of her social surroundings, living in a war zone where she witnesses daily crises both big and small. As a result, she has volunteered with a number of organizations from different sectors: human rights, media, technology and business. In addition, she is building a mobile game based on a simulation of Gaza reconstruction that won in an entrepreneurship competition.

She has lived in three different cultures: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Palestine, giving her a variety of experiences that made her the idealist she is today. It may sound too ambitious, but Shahd sees herself as visionary who can one day help change the world into a better place. "I am multicultural, multilingual, adaptive, motivated and, most importantly, ambitious," she laughs.