Thuraya Ismail is a Saudi Eisenhower Fellow, international human and social development expert, youth empowerment expert, and an art advocate. Born in Saudi Arabia, she grew up in a highly educated family, where her father was a renowned physician in Riyadh. Thuraya studied political science at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and completed her graduate studies in international affairs at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2002.
During her studies in the UK, fundamentalism was overrunning the Arab World, raising Thuraya’s concern over the future of Arab youth. She began a career aimed at youth empowerment and improving the mental and psychological well-being of young Arabs.