Hala Abu Hamda, a UofG offer-holder in Gaza, talks about her passion for robotics, art as refuge, and what it’ll take to get to Glasgow.
Hala Abu Hamda is a 17-year-old programmer, artist and writer from Gaza with an offer to study Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Glasgow. Part of one of Palestine’s first programming teams, her passion for robotics has taken her far.
Hala’s programming aspirations have been forced to a halt since the Israeli occupation. Unable to attend the World Robot Olympiad in October 2023, her schooling has been heavily disrupted, and she has been unable to take her final-year exams, which are a requirement for the UofG offer.
Content creation has been a source of creativity for Hala, where she shares her art and informs her audience on the situation in Gaza. This has also helped to fund her family’s campaign. Hala is currently working towards attaining a waiver for her grade requirements following the breaking of the ceasefire and a subsequent series of cancelled and delayed exams.
“All my life”, she tells me, “I’ve loved discovering new things, learning, and chasing my dreams. I was always so involved in competitions and projects that I barely had time to even sit in class.”
What sparked your passion for robotics and programming?
“It all started with a simple question my teacher asked, ‘Does anyone here know how to code?’ I was the only student in my class who raised her hand—programming wasn’t common in Gaza back then. But I had already taken a Python programming course with the purpose initiative in Ramallah and was part of one of the very first programming teams in Palestine. That course was also my first introduction to the world of robotics and electronics. With every session, my excitement kept growing. I finally found myself in something I truly loved. This experience eventually led me and my teammates to be selected for the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) competition.
“Our team was unusual because each of us came from schools in different parts of the Gaza Strip, while most other teams were from the same school. We only had three days to prepare, the materials were scarce, and the distances between us were long, but despite all that, we presented our project to the judges and won first place in Gaza and second place in all of Palestine.
“After that, we faced another challenge: the blockade and the high costs of travelling outside of Gaza. Thankfully, the Ministry believed in us and fully covered the expenses so that a team from Gaza, Palestine, could represent our people in the global competition in Panama. But just one week before our travel date, the war started.
“In a matter of days,” says Hala, “all the dreams I had been building for 15 years collapsed. I lost my home, I lost my dearest friends. And yet, despite everything, I’m still trying to reignite that spark of hope once again.
“For me, the most rewarding thing about robotics is the ability to use technology to solve real-life problems and potentially save lives. As a child living in the Gaza Strip, I experienced many wars and witnessed thousands of victims falling due to heavy bombardment. I would watch the news and see the civil defence struggling to reach or locate victims under the rubble in time, and that’s when I thought about robots: If only I could create a robot to save lives before it’s too late.”
What was it like to be part of one of the first Palestinian programming teams?
“It was a unique milestone for me because it was my first real step into the world of coding. Despite being online, it still allowed me to connect with amazing friends from different parts of Palestine. Learning Python and artificial intelligence in ninth grade opened the door for me to join a robotics and AI program the following year.”
The team’s instructor, Hala tells me, nominated them to participate in the World Robot Olympiad.
“Just three days before the judging deadline, our instructor called to check on our progress and was shocked to know that we hadn’t even started. He immediately offered us everything we needed: the tools, a room in the technology department, and he arranged for us to leave during school hours for those three days. We managed to complete the project within those three days, presenting it successfully to the judges for the first time.”
You mentioned that you are an artist and writer. Has your creativity helped you during these difficult times?
“Creativity has been a lifeline for me. Painting and writing keeps me away from constant fear and gives me a space to express my emotions instead of bottling them up. After my programming tools were destroyed by the bombing, all I had left [was] a brush, paper and pen. Despite this, painting helped me greatly improve my mental well-being and also provided an important source of income for my family under these circumstances; I managed to earn around $1000 from selling my artwork. It also opened the door to meeting friends from abroad, some of whom are artists like me, which made me feel that I am not alone and gave me hope.”
How did your content creation begin?
“I started posting more on Instagram during the ongoing war in Gaza, when my family needed financial support due to the harsh circumstances. I carefully built my page to introduce myself, showcase my talents and dreams, and connect with people. This helped me sell my artwork and promote the fundraising campaigns I created for myself and my family.”
Can you tell me more about your dream to study at the University of Glasgow? What is left to achieve the unconditional offer?
“I lost dear friends—trapped under rubble for over seven hours with no rescue, no internet, and no way to signal for help. As I write this, I remain in the same danger, living through a reality where such tragedies are heartbreakingly common. In those desperate hours, one thought consumed me: if only we had a system that could locate trapped people and send help before it was too late.
“That wish led me to the University of Glasgow. While researching robotics innovations, I came across Glasgow’s Intelligent and Autonomous Systems group and their disaster recovery projects. The DARE project, which uses drones to provide emergency communication coverage and locate missing persons, deeply resonated with me. I saw more than innovation, I saw hope. I saw technology that could have saved the people I lost. And I realized that Glasgow is not just a place of academic excellence; it is where life-saving ideas are being developed.
“With all this in mind, I applied to the University of Glasgow and received a conditional offer on 14 July. To complete my unconditional acceptance, I still need to submit my grade twelve results and the IELTS requirement.”
The grade 12 results are a “distant dream”, Hala explains: “Back in February when there was [a] ceasefire, there was news that the grade twelve exams would happen in June. But as soon as [the] ceasefire broke, my hope also shattered. I kept on studying for the exams, but unfortunately they didn’t happen, just like they didn’t happen for class of 2023 and 2024. The hope reappeared when [the] Ministry of Education (MOE) took a bold move to conduct online grade 12 exams for the classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025. While MOE had successfully conducted their first round and Class of 2023 have already received their results, right now second round is expected to happen in the beginning of September and they will receive their results no sooner than the beginning of October.”
With the new evacuation orders, Hala worries that the class of 2025 exams will not happen at all. If they do, they will not occur before late October, and it would be too late for her to begin her studies in the upcoming academic year.
“I contacted the university to request a waiver for both requirements. Their reply was not what I had hoped for. None of the requirements could be waived because of UK Visas and Immigration regulations. The admissions staff, however, encouraged me to submit my IELTS as soon as possible. […] The fee is around £275, but thanks to supporters from around the world, I have already started preparing and plan to take the IELTS soon.
“”As for the Grade 12 requirement, there is currently no possibility of a waiver, which remains stressful. To keep my dream alive, I also applied to Glasgow International College on 19 August. This institute is part of the University of Glasgow and allows students who have not yet met the university’s entry requirements to complete foundation certificates, after which they can progress to their desired courses at Glasgow.”
Is there anything you would like the outside world to know about Gaza?
“Today, I went to have a 3D scan of my teeth because I needed a dental implant. You might wonder why I’m mentioning this, but while I was there, something struck me. Despite the war, the ongoing destruction, hunger, and power cuts, many places—like the clinic I was in—are still operating with generators. University students are still studying and chasing their dreams, and designers and shop owners are still opening new businesses here.
“What also inspired me was a magazine on the table while I was waiting. I opened the second-to-last page randomly and found an article about Yara Najdi, a Palestinian scientist who won a million-dollar prize for a smart-foot robot.” A smart-foot robot acts as an external skeleton and helps people with paralysis to walk again. “I was drawn to it immediately and read it six times! Yara was able to graduate and travel to the United States to study my dream field, robotics engineering, driven by the same motivation as me: helping war victims.
“What I want the world to know about Gaza is that it is like a phoenix. Here, there is determination and an unstoppable will to achieve goals among Palestinian youth, no matter the hardships caused by the occupation. Gaza continues to nurture talent—our talent, the talent of young people.”