She didn’t wait for graduation: Mera Afanah’s path to Transcend

She didn’t wait for graduation: Mera Afanah’s path to Transcend

Mera Afanah is completing her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the Arab American University in Palestine, and she is already building a career in technology. Through the Palestine Launchpad with Google programme, delivered by Google, Udacity, and SPARK, she secured her current role as a Customer Support Agent at Transcend, working on the Yabous Finance application, all before finishing her degree. What makes her story stand out is not only where it has led, but how she got there.

Mera first came across the programme on social media, and her interest grew after classmates encouraged her to apply. She put herself forward during her second year at university, and was not accepted. Rather than treat that as the end of the story, she chose to keep going.

“I did not consider that the end of the journey,” she says. “I decided to keep looking forward to the next opportunity.”

The Power of Trying Again

When applications reopened, Mera applied straight away, this time enrolling in two tracks: Front-End Development, which matched her interests, and Introduction to Machine Learning, driven by her curiosity about artificial intelligence. This time she was accepted, and the experience went well beyond what she had hoped for.

“Applying again after my first attempt was one of the best decisions I have made,” she reflects.

The Front-End Development track strengthened her grasp of web technologies and gave her hands-on practice building user interfaces with modern development tools. “I improved my communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management abilities,” she says, along with the confidence to present herself professionally. She did not only gain knowledge, but learned how to apply it, adapt to new challenges, and approach opportunities with greater confidence.

Building a Career Before Graduation

For Mera, the programme’s biggest gift was the confidence to act while still a student.

“Being a student does not mean waiting until graduation to start building a career,” she says.

That belief was tested when the Transcend opportunity arrived at a demanding moment, while she was carrying 19 credit hours and working on her Graduation Project 1 in the final stages of her degree.

Balancing a first professional role with full academic responsibilities was not easy, but she treated it as a chance to grow.

“It taught me how to manage my time, set priorities, and adapt to professional responsibilities while continuing to achieve my academic goals,” she says.

The results speak for themselves: she completed the semester with excellent marks and earned an A grade in her Graduation Project 1 while still managing to do her professional work.

Looking ahead

Mera credits Palestine Launchpad with helping her step outside her comfort zone and realize what she was capable of achieving. Her advice to fellow students is rooted in her own experience:

“Do not wait until graduation to start building your career,” she urges. “Not being accepted the first time didn’t mean the opportunity wasn’t for me—it simply meant I needed to keep improving and try again. Invest in yourself, build the skills, and the doors will open.”