The first Arab to scale Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse shares his inspiring journey with students in virtual event

Doha, Qatar: 24 June 2020 - The Hamilton International School, part of International Schools Partnership (ISP) a global network of schools including Park House English School, hosted an online inspirational speaker event with Qatari high-altitude climber, adventurer and senior banker, Fahad Badar. 

More than 30 students from Grades 4 and 5 attended the recent virtual session, in which Fahad told them about his journey as an adventurer, and about his achievement of becoming the first Arab man to scale Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse, each within 24 hours. 

The aim of the session was to inspire students and to encourage them to dream big and work with dedication towards achieving  their life goals. “Once I achieved my first dream, I didn’t want to stop, and I kept working on achieving more goals. Dreams have no end.” said Fahad Badar.

The Qatari high-altitude climber also stressed on the importance of leadership, positive thinking and self-esteem as keys to success. “It is important to be inspired not only by others, but by yourself as well. There will be times when you want to give up, but you have to keep in mind that failure is never a good option. You have to believe in yourself, in your dreams and in the story you can tell”, explained Fahad.

The talk was concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where students seized the opportunity to ask Fahad questions on his sources of inspiration, the challenges he had to face, and how he managed to overcome them. The Senior Banker at Commercial Bank of Qatar and social media personality also told students about his future plans to climb the highest mountain in each of the world’s seven continents.

Commenting on hosting the online session, Ian Rinaldi, Head of Elementary at The Hamilton International School, said: “Our students were very happy to have the chance to speak to Fahad Badar. It is important for them to hear success stories, especially one that is as accomplished and inspiring as Fahad’s. The Hamilton International School is committed to encouraging the students to learn from positive people and real life examples, and I am sure that interacting with people like Fahad, in addition to the support our teachers provide, will allow our students to build their own success stories in the future.”

Launched in 2019, The Hamilton International School offers the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which is taught in over 2,000 schools across 98 countries. In September 2020 Hamilton is opening their Middle School (Grades 6 to 8, ages 11 to 14), which will also offer the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) whilst embedding the core of the US curriculum standards
“At The Hamilton International School we have developed a strong and engaging curriculum for the Middle Years Students, in which they will have inspirational experiences with prominent personalities from the region,” said Terry Senior, Principal of The Hamilton International School. 

 “While we are still waiting for guidance from the appropriate authorties regarding re-opening, our entire school team is putting plans in place that will see us maximize as much on – premise learning, with the broadest curriculum possible. This will all be done in an environment that prioritises the health and safety of our community. We look forward to welcoming our new cohort for the next academic year,” he concluded.