CAIRO: Virginia Tech University recognized on Thursday Waleed Shaalan, the 32-year-old Egyptian victim of the Virginia Tech shooting, by presenting him with an honorary degree.
The event, which was reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, was attended by Hani Hilal, Minster of Higher Education, who was featured in the photo on the front page of the newspaper with tears in his eyes as he gave the certificate to Shaalan s three-year-old son Khaled and Shaalan s family.
Shaalan was the only Egyptian victim among 31 others who died in a massacre committed by a 23-year-old South Korean student, Cho Seung-hui, who killed himself after the incident.
Shaalan had traveled to the US last August to pursue his PhD in civil engineering at Virginia Tech University. Shaalan graduated from Zagazig University, with a master s degree in water engineering.
He followed his father s footsteps by establishing a career in water resources and irrigation. His father is an ex-first undersecretary at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Shaalan, who is originally from Sharqia, used to be a researcher at the institution of water resources before he traveled to the US.
