Class of 2026: Dina Abdul Rahman earns her degree after three years of late nights in Beirut

By Joan Tupponce

Dina Abdul Rahman isn’t drifting into a deep sleep at midnight on Wednesdays. Instead, she’s signing into her class at Virginia Commonwealth University from her home in Beirut, Lebanon. It’s a routine she’s kept for the past three years.

“It is completely quiet, but not always peaceful,” said Abdul Rahman of Beirut at that time of the morning. “Sometimes there was genuine tension in the air; sometimes uncertainty about what the next morning would bring.”

Abdul Rahman, who will graduate in May from VCU’s Ed.D. program in educational leadership in the School of Education, works her schedule not only around the unpredictability in Beirut but also her work as senior director of the International Services and Programs Office at Lebanese American University.

“It was not easy, but it was intentional,” she said of her class schedule and working full time. “For me, those sessions were not just about completing coursework. They were an act of commitment to myself, to my own growth, to the values I believe in, and to the idea that even in the most difficult circumstances, you choose to keep showing up.”

Those early morning moments defined her experience more than any lecture or reading.

“They reminded me what perseverance actually looks like from the inside,” said Abdul Rahman, who remains steadfast in her passion for leadership in higher education and what that means for women in the region where she lives.

A graduate of International College in Beirut, the American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University, Abdul Rahman discovered VCU’s Ed.D. program in educational leadership and “it felt like the right fit for me,” she said. “It was a life-changing experience.”

Being a remote learner has its profound challenges, ranging from time zone differences to internet connectivity headaches. But for Abdul Rahman there is the added challenge of studying in an unstable environment.

Since 2023, Lebanon has experienced geopolitical and economic disruption and uncertainty that heightened the demands Abdul Rahman faced as a student.

“There were moments when I was engaging in seminar discussions about leadership theory while simultaneously worrying about the safety of my family, my students and the staff I am responsible for,” she said.

She believes those moments made learning feel more concrete.

“When we discussed adaptive leadership, crisis navigation, legal perspectives or equity in education, I was not imagining hypothetical scenarios,” she said. “I was living them in real time.”

Being the only international student in her cohort at VCU, Abdul Rahman found it somewhat difficult to connect with her peers.

“I often felt that they couldn't relate to my experiences, especially when I needed to understand theirs. At various times, I had to take a step back, gain perspective and seek guidance from my advisor and professors to help me navigate these differences,” she said.

Her capstone research focused on student-centered advising and retention at Delaware County Community College. After gathering perspectives from students and advisors, her team found that “fragmented advising systems and inconsistent relationships can significantly undermine student success,” she said.

What she was witnessing in Lebanon every day also shaped her research. She has spent the past 19 years working at Lebanese American University and she has watched students persist through everything from financial hardship to political instability.

“What we found in the data mirrored what I see in practice. Students do not just need academic guidance. They need connection, consistency and someone who recognizes and honors their full reality — not just their transcript,” she said. “That resonated with me on a level that was both professional and deeply personal.”

She values the mentoring she received from Beth Bukoski, Ph.D., director of the Ed.D. in educational leadership program.

“She did not simply guide my research; she challenged me to think more critically about my own identity and role as a leader,” she said. “What I valued most was that she did not try to simplify or bracket my context. She understood that my lived experience in Lebanon was not an obstacle to the program -- that it was one of the most valuable things I brought to it. That experience deepened my own approach to mentorship.”

Abdul Rahman is excited to be moving into teaching after she graduates. She will begin to teach a course at LAU that she developed on women in leadership this summer.

“Completing the Ed.D. at VCU feels less like an ending and more like a door finally fully opening,” she said.