Rama Touqan aces Tawjihi, again

AMMAN — Rama Touqan's ambition to major in medicine did not end even after enrolling in the University of Jordan's (UJ) faculty of dentistry.

After passing the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) with a score of 96.5 per cent last year, Touqan was disappointed to know that her grade would not allow her to pursue medicine.

"I applied to study dentistry and got accepted, but the idea of not pursuing what I have always wanted kept haunting me," the 18-year-old student told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

Touqan's passion for medicine, which she developed over the years, inspired by television shows like "Grey's Anatomy", led to an unlikely move — re-sitting for the Tawjihi.

"With the encouragement of my family, I decided to retake two Tawjihi exams. I chose courses I got the least marks in during my first Tawjihi round," said the Amman resident.

Although the latest Tawjihi winter session coincided with her university exams, Touqan passed with flying colours, and was named by the Education Ministry as the highest achieving student in the Tawjihi's scientific stream, with a score of 97.7 per cent.

"I saw my score online before the Education Ministry's press conference. I was very happy, but the real surprise came when I heard my name on TV," said Touqan, who noted that she sat for one of the Tawjihi exams on the same day of a university test.

"I kept my plans a secret. I worked hard in silence." 

A morning radio show was hosting Touqan on Tuesday to talk about her story when UJ President Ekhleif Tarawneh called to announce the good news — she was accepted at the university's faculty of medicine.

"It was a moment of great joy," she recounted.

Touqan, who was hoping to receive a scholarship, is planning to specialise in oncology.