Face to Face: Mohamad Youssef

Fall 2022

For years now, MainGate has published stories about AUB staff that best exemplify being part of the AUB community. Staff members have shared their stories, including those of how their time at AUB has, for some, been life changing. But “life changing” does not even begin to explain Mohamad Youssef’s story.

Youssef is a practical nurse at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), where he has worked for 25 years. His journey to get there has not been traditional. A bright and happy child, Youssef was enamored
with school and science. Unlike many of his peers, he looked forward to the school day. Then came the Lebanese Civil War, and like many children during that era, he was deprived of a normal childhood. It is during this time, at seven years old, that he would lose both his father and older sister.

With the war continuing to take a toll on his family, he began working. “At 10 years old, I started working at a clothing store in Hamra, walking five kilometers in the morning to get there and five kilometers back to go to school in the afternoon. At night, I would work in a bakery to help the family,” he says. Unfortunately, by eighth grade, Youssef could no longer sustain this demanding schedule and stopped attending school to begin working full-time. “I worked for many years, taking on different roles, ranging from construction worker to watch salesman to support my family until, in 1997, I was able to get a position at AUBMC as a nurse aide.”

Life happened quickly after starting at AUBMC. “I was recently married, living in the same small apartment
with my wife, mother, and brothers, but the goal was to change our lives. With the job at AUBMC, I could get a
loan for a small house outside Beirut. We could start our family,” he says. Three children later, Youssef is a proud father. He cannot help but gleam when talking about his children; they are his joy. His eldest son, Tarek, obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from AUB, thanks to his father’s job at AUBMC. “My son dreamed of being a doctor, but when he was accepted to AUB medical school, the cost was too high,” says Youssef. Thankfully, Tarek qualified for a financial aid package that allowed him to attend. “He will be the first doctor in the family, but god willing, not the last.”

Youssef is beyond grateful to AUB. “In my youth, I dreamed of walking the campus of AUB. I could never imagine my children attending as students. AUB has made my dreams come true for my children and me,” he says. What AUB has done for Youssef and his family is undeniable, but what he has given to AUB is just as important: twenty five years of service to AUBMC and the community that AUBMC serves, through war, the pandemic, and the Beirut explosion—some of the most challenging times in Lebanon’s history. What AUB has done for Youssef is not a favor; it returns the level of dedication he has had to AUB.