Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ) alumna Jinanne Tabra has been named by CEO Middle East in its ‘Top 30 under 30’, a list of the best and brightest entrepreneurs in the Arab world.
Tabra, a 2008 Business Administration graduate from the inaugural class of Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, is the founder of ARABOH.com.
The website promotes the education of the Arabic language, particularly among Arabs living outside the Arab world.
The list, featuring the next generation of Arab leaders, includes names from well-known Arabic families as well as representing a variety of businesses from internet start-ups to fashion labels to construction firms and oil and gas companies.
“It’s such an honour to be considered one of the Middle East’s ‘Top 30 under 30’and although ARABOH.com is just over one-year-old, it tells me we’re on the right track,” the young achiever said.
ARABOH.com is an online community for learning tools stocking over 700 educational books with an Arabic theme from well-known publishers including Scholastic, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and Asala.
Born in Iraq and raised in Scotland, Tabra struggled to learn the Arabic language growing up in a non-Arab country. Arabic language books, educational toys and computer games were either in limited supply and variety or non-existent. Her appreciation for the Arabic language and culture today is in a large part due to the efforts by the small local Arab community in her neighbourhood in Scotland.
Upon her family’s return to the Gulf a few years ago, Tabra had the idea to provide Arab children, as well as adults, fun and easy access to Arabic learning tools over the internet and soon-thereafter, launched ARABOH.com.
Balancing her studies at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and running her own business proved to be a worthwhile challenge for this young entrepreneur.
ARABOH.com is gearing up to launch its own new brand of language resources, and is working towards its goal to double the product range.
Tabra has also worked closely with Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, whose broadcasts are among the best Arabic-language children’s television programming. Many of these programmes are now available on DVD through ARABOH.com.
In addition, ARABOH.com is partnering with a large number of libraries and schools all over the world to put quality Arabic materials in the hands of the people who need them. ARABOH.com also donates a percentage of annual profits to charities that aid children in the Arab world.
Pointing out that Tabra joins the ranks of successful entrepreneurs among the Carnegie Mellon Qatar alumni and student body, an official stated that the curriculum at Carnegie Mellon leverages the core values of innovation, creativity and problem solving by providing students a distinct education that gives them the tools to pioneer solutions to real-world issues. |
