The Venezuelan student of Syrian origin from As-Suwayda province, Salam, daughter of Syrian expatriate Riyad Khalaf Zein El Din, received a letter from the University of California administration in the United States recognizing her as one of the top 50 students out of 437,000 across all California universities, and the top student at her own university.
This followed the university's review of Salam's first-semester results in her freshman year of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering.
Salam was born on May 24, 2006, in the Venezuelan city of Mérida to Syrian parents from As-Suwayda province.
In her first semester, she achieved the top rank at her university, which led to her selection as one of the top fifty students.
Her father studied commerce and economics at Damascus University, and her mother, Rehab Abu Assaf, is also a graduate of the Faculty of Science at Damascus University.
Salam's aunt, Syrian novelist Ahlam Abu Assaf, says that Salam's parents proved their worth in that country, preserved the Arab spirit, and faithfully passed it on to their children, Salam and Omran, with the awareness of those who know. They were keen to do so every day of their time in exile, to be the most beautiful and best version of the Syrian person, no matter how hard the winds blew. My sister and her husband were an example of a wonderful couple in the diaspora community and a standard for everything positive and distinct. This was reflected in how they raised their daughter. In addition to her intelligence and characteristic calm, Salam earned the title of Beauty Queen of elementary schools in the state. Later, through her and her family's interest and her intelligence, she was able to skip the seventh and eighth grades directly to the ninth grade after passing an exam and winning it on merit, graduating from high school in Mérida at the age of sixteen.
Concurrently, Salam studied English and graduated with honors from the American Sipan Academy in Mérida. Afterward, she submitted her application to the University of California in the United States and was accepted immediately due to her high GPA and proficiency in English. The admission was for the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering department, which is one of the most difficult fields in the United States.
Despite her young age, she was able to shoulder the responsibility and burdens of life abroad on her own, all while her parents watched her with confidence, affection, and responsibility.
It is worth noting that Salam is also creative in drawing, as her mother, Rehab Abu Assaf, mentions, as she designed the logo for the "Hekaya min Waraq" (Stories from Paper) cultural team in Venezuela.
It is also worth noting that the California State University (CSU) is a public university system located in the American state of California, comprising 23 campuses. The university has 437,000 students and 44,000 faculty members. The number of living alumni is 1,340,000.
