Details

Lebanon’s new sweetheart, Maya Nasr is smashing all of society’s misconceptions into smithereens and sending her dreams into outer-space.

Born in 1997, Maya grew up in the Chouf and pursued her studies in the region’s public school. She then made it as one of the rare students from the Middle East to be accepted in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Aerospace Engineering program without being a US citizen.

Yes gentlemen, women dream of launching rockets too!

We had the chance to ask Maya some questions in order to know her better. And we don’t know about you, but we’re sure she’s heading towards a bright future!

Let me start with the most obvious question that comes to mind when someone hears about you. Why astrophysics?

Aerospace engineering and astrophysics are things I am passionate about. Rocket science, space, and astronomy are topics I just deeply love. The adrenaline rush you feel when watching a rocket launch or the intensity that takes hold of you while observing the universe cannot just be described. That’s why I chose Aerospace Engineering as my major. It’s not something you actually choose, it’s just giving in to a passion that you have inside of you. I didn’t know anyone who pursued my major or career path before I came to MIT, but I was sure that this was what I wanted to do in life.

The path to a scholarship in MIT’s Astrophysics program is surely not an easy one. How did you decide this was what you wanted to do and what were the different steps that got you to achieve your goal?

It all started in the beginning of grade 10 when I applied to a program at AMIDEAST called Competitive College Club, also known as CCC, and they had a scholarship called DKKSF (Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund). After applying, I got the scholarship, and I enrolled in their program during my high school years. I applied to several universities in the US, but my dream college was MIT, and I fortunately got accepted there. I currently benefit from a full scholarship from MIT’s AeroAstro department.

Before starting your studies at MIT, you have enrolled in activities such as the UNESCO’s competition for women rights and worked with associations helping the disabled; you are also an accomplished athlete. Do you think building bridges between different disciplines is what makes you stand out?

Definitely. Being a well-rounded student is something all universities and workplaces care about. I’ve always been very passionate about space and rocket science, but at the same time, my other passion lies in Arabic writing and poetry. I’ve also been involved in all those activities you mentioned, and I believe that I would’ve never been the person I am today without them because they built my leadership skills and boosted my confidence. I believe that being a successful person requires more than mere professional skills, you also need to have the proper social, diplomatic, and artistic skills to complete the missing pieces of the puzzle that creates your character and defines who you are.

What was your dream as a little girl?

As a little girl, I always wanted to be an astronaut, and this is still my dream and will always be until it comes true. Being able to explore space and get a real feel of this universe is something I’ve always dreamt of. This is why I was inspired by people who dedicated their life for science, and by my two favorite geniuses, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Another person who inspired me and gave me hope to follow my passion and pursue this major was Dr. Charles Elachi. When I saw that another Lebanese person became as successful as he is and was able to achieve amazing things and reach such positions, I gained another drive to work hard and follow my passion.

Towards which goal are you striving?

Other than fulfilling my dream of becoming an astronaut at some point in my life, I’m working on getting involved in as many space projects and programs as I can. One of my goals is to contribute to space exploration and missions that will be launched like the SLS (Space Launch System) in 2018 or the MARS 2020 rover which I’m currently working on.

Do you have any advice for today’s youth and girls in particular?

My main advice for all the youth, and for girls in particular, is to not let anyone or anything define who you are or what you want to do or be in life. It is your life, so just look for passion and follow it. This is the only way that will lead you to success and happiness. Forget about all the political and religious nonsense that is destroying the world, and Lebanon in particular, and follow your dreams. If you love something and you want it, you will achieve it and you will be good at it, so never let society restrict you or push you away from your dreams. Even if the whole world stood against you at some point, they will all change their minds and admire your choices when they see your success. Remember life is all about taking risks and making choices, so make sure when you’ll look back at your choices at some point in your life, you won’t regret what you’ve done.

To enable our website to function properly. For instance, we use cookies to identify broken links or other existing technical issues within the website.
To analyze the use and the performance of the website in order to provide a high quality experience by making sure that the website content and layout are relevant to you. For instance, we use cookies to track the most popular pages that meet your needs and interests.
To optimize the webpages you visit and to personalize the content across all our digital pages. For instance, we use cookies to ensure that relevant webpages are displayed based on your preferences and location, making your next visit much easier.
To keep you connected to our electronic banking solutions throughout your session, from the time you login till the time you logout or until your session expires depending on which comes first.

Session cookies: Session cookies are temporary cookies that last for the length of your visit to our website. They delete themselves when you close your browser.
Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies stay on your device when you close your browser.They can track your online preferences. They remember and implement those preferences the next time you visit our site.

Call Center: 24/7 at 1510 (inside Lebanon) or 00961387000 (from outside Lebanon)
Email address: [email protected]

Personal data: Refer to any data that identifies or may identify you, either directly or indirectly, such as your name, contact details, digital images, identification data (e.g. identity card/passport number) and authentication data (e.g. your signature) etc.
Processing: Refer to actions such as the collection, retention, use, disclosure, transfer, deletion or destruction of your personal data.
Individual: Refer to employees, representatives, shareholders, BOD members of BLC, prospective, current and former customers, authorized signatories, beneficial owners, guarantors, advisers, contractors, service providers, partners, committee members, customers, payers, payees and security providers or any other natural persons whose personal information have or will be lawfully obtained by BLC Bank in the normal course of its business.
Data Protection officer: Refer to actions such as the collection, retention, use, disclosure, transfer, deletion or destruction of your personal data.

Individuals: Either directly from you or from your authorized representatives/agents(if applicable), or via other communication channels.
Third parties: Including previous employers, other banks, credit reference agencies and Risk solution companies that enable us to manually screen potential customers and perform enhanced due diligence.
Public sources: Including press, media, internet, Commercial Register, Land Registry , Banking and Liquidation registries, lists and databases maintained by other entities including international organizations.

Fulfillment of contractual obligations : To perform our contractual/Business obligations.
Compliance with Legal obligations : To comply with the legal obligations as well as the requirements of supervisory and regulatory authorities.
Safeguarding legitimate interests : To pursue our legitimate interests. Data are processed under this ground for reasons pertaining to business activities provided that those interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
Based on your consent : To process your personal data for specific purposes other than the ones described above. The lawfulness of such processing is based on your consent.

Units and/or persons that are authorized to process your data within BLC Bank.
“Fransabank” as a Mother company, where it is necessary for our legitimate interests to do so or in order to comply with our obligations under the law.
Regulatory bodies to whom BLC is required to transfer data under the obligations of national Law and regulations.
Third parties to whom BLC is required to transfer data under the obligations of International treaties and/or binding agreements.
Third parties involved in or in connection with potential or actual litigation, arbitration or other legal process with BLC.
Service providers that deal with BLC under the duty to keep the personal data confidential.
Banks, agents, Financial Institutions, that process your personal data on our behalf are under the obligation to comply with the same personal data protection standards and safeguards as we do
Credit related companies or agencies, which have dealings with BLC.

We retain your personal data for the purposes they were initially collected, in accordance with the law and relevant regulations.
We may need to retain your data for a period longer than 10 years after the termination of our relationship in order to comply with regulatory or legal requirements.
We may need to store your Personal data for a period exceeding 10 years to satisfy our legitimate purposes.
Records can be held on a variety of media (physical or electronic) and formats.

We carry out data evaluations (including on payment transactions) in the context of our anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism financing and anti-fraud measures.
We employ credit scoring to assess your creditworthiness, so that we can evaluate whether customers will meet their contractual payment obligations and to make fair and responsible decisions regarding the provision of our services and products, especially in the context of providing banking facilities, including loans and overdrafts.

You have given us your explicit consent to do so, in which case you may revoke such consent at any time.
Where we believe that such processing is necessary for pursuing our legitimate interests.

The right to access your Personal Data or be provided with a copy of the data being held about you.
The right to request the correction of any inaccuracies in your Personal Data.
The right to request the erasure of your Personal Data, particularly where the continued processing of the data is no longer necessary.
The right to object to the processing of your Personal Data, particularly where there are no longer sufficient legitimate grounds for us to continue processing the data.
The right to data portability, which means to receive a copy of the personal data that you have provided to us and to transmit those data to another organization and/or to request that we transmit such data directly to another organization.
The right to appeal any automated decision making or profiling.
The right to withdraw any consent you may have provided.
The right to fill a complaint to the Data Protection Officer in case of unlawful processing of your Personal Data.

Protect individuals from having their personal data misused or mishandled and assure to them that their personal information is being securely protected.
Establish individuals’ rights by creating responsibilities for businesses by setting guidelines for the way to handle and store their personal data.
Give individuals control over their personal data.
Improve the level of compliance by introducing significant penalties on organizations that fail to meet their regulatory obligations.

LAWFULNESS &FAIRNESS : BLC will only process Personal Data fairly and lawfully and for specified purposes. These restrictions are not intended to prevent processing but to ensure that BLC processes Personal Data for legitimate purposes.
TRANSPARENCY : BLC must provide detailed, specific information to data subjects about what happens to their Personal Data. This information will be provided through appropriate privacy notices that must be concise, transparent, intelligible, easy accessible and in clear and plain Language to allow the data subjects to easily understand the status of their Personal Data.
INDIVIDUAL CONSENT : Explicit consent will be obtained in situations where serious data protection risk emerges, hence, where a high level of individual control over personal data is deemed appropriate. The consent must be freely given, specific, and includes an unambiguous indication whether a clear statement or affirmative action from the data subject to process his/her personal data.
When BLC processes personal data that are necessary to conduct a service requested by a customer, under the agreed terms and conditions the processing is considered legitimate and no further consent is needed.
Written consent shall be presented in an understandable and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language.
Data subjects shall be able to withdraw their consents to processing based on the Bank’s internal procedure. BLC shall maintain a record of all consents obtained to demonstrate compliance.
PURPOSE LIMITATION : Personal Data will be collected only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes. It will not be further processed in a manner incompatible with those purposes unless the data subject is informed of the new purpose followed by his written consent.
DATA MINIMIZATION : BLC shall make sure that the processed Personal Data is adequate and relevant to the purpose for which it is intended to be processed and will not accumulate Personal Data that is not relevant for those purposes. BLC shall draft a retention policy to ensure that when Personal Data is no longer needed for specified purposes, it is securely destroyed or anonymised.
ACCURACY OF DATA : It is the responsibility of the data subject to provide accurate and updated personal data to BLC. BLC will take all reasonable steps to check the accuracy of any personal data at the point of collection and follow the procedure for reviewing the data at regular intervals thereafter. Incorrect or misleading data will be corrected or deleted as appropriate.
STORAGE LIMITATION : Personal Data will be retained for as long as reasonably necessary and/or as required or permitted by Law .BLC will take the reasonable steps to destroy or erase all personal data that is no longer required by national laws and regulations.
SECURITY OF DATA : BLC Bank shall take the reasonable necessary measures to protect the personal data it processes and to prevent its distortion, alteration, damage or unauthorized access through the implementation of a robust security program including but not limited to policies, controls, monitoring methods, recovery techniques, training and awareness.
Personal data shall be protected against unauthorized access using appropriate organizational, operational and technical measures. BLC will perform regular controls to ensure the effectiveness of these measures.

To perform contractual agreements with customers, suppliers and employees.
To manage the business relationship with the customers & suppliers.
To conduct marketing research and surveys that aim to improve BLC products and services.
To perform internal audit and compliance control.
To fulfill examiners’ demands in the course of external audit missions carried out at the Bank.
To prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute crimes including without limitation money laundering, terrorism financing, fraud and other financial crime, identity verification, government sanctions screening and due diligence checks.
To comply with local & applicable foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions, judgments or court orders.
To comply with agreements between BLC and any public authorities.
To comply with BLC Bank policies and Code of Conduct.
To monitor and record calls and electronic communications with data subjects for quality, training, investigation, complaints and crime/ fraud prevention.
To defend BLC Bank’s rights, participating in potential or actual litigation, arbitration or other legal process.
To seek professional advice, including in connection with any legal proceedings for obtaining legal advice.
Other purposes for which data subject has given his or her expressed consent.

FRANSABANK “ Mother Company”
Third parties to whom BLC is required to transfer data under the obligations of national Law and regulations, such as: BDL, BCC, CMA, SIC & MOF.
To conduct marketing research and surveys that aim to improve BLC products and services.
Third parties to whom BLC is required to transfer data under the obligations of International treaties and/or binding agreements.
Banks, agents, Financial Institutions, contractors or service providers that deal with BLC under the duty to keep the personal data confidential.
Credit related companies or agencies which have dealings with BLC.
Third parties involved in or in connection with potential or actual litigation, arbitration or other legal process with BLC.

BLC will reasonably make sure that third parties who receive personal data of a data subject shall treat the personal data with confidence and in accordance with Data protection law and regulations. BLC will not transfer data of the data subject to any third party to be used for direct marketing purposes without obtaining the prior consent of the data subject.

Withdraw consent to processing personal data based on the Bank’s internal procedure.
Request access to their personal data.
Prevent the use of their personal data for direct marketing purposes.
Ask the Bank to erase personal data if and when it is no longer necessary. However BLC may deny a request of an individual if the request constitutes an abuse of rights or the request entails a deletion of data required by national Law or regulations.
Rectify or complete personal data.
Be notified of any personal data breach.
File a complaint with the appropriate Legal authority.
Receive or ask for their personal data to be transferred to a third party in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format.

To process personal data based on documented instructions from BLC Management.
To have appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure an appropriate level of security.
To delete or return all the personal data at the sole discretion of BLC at the end of the service provided.
Delete any existing soft or hard copies of the personal data unless required by national Laws & regulations.
Avoid involving another processor without the prior authorization of BLC Management.

Promote & maintain a culture that respects customer privacy & personal data across BLC & related entities.
Review & approve the Data Protection Policy.
Oversee the level of readiness of the Bank for compliance with data protection requirements.

Promote and enforce high standards of data protection.
Ensure that Data Protection Policy is properly and timely implemented.
Ensure that management and employees are aware of, understand and adhere to data protection standards.
React promptly and effectively to compliance issues that arise whenever a data protection breach is detected or suspected.

Develop and update the Data Protection Compliance Program and ensure its proper implementation.
Provide advices where requested on data protection obligations.
Monitor compliance with data protection law and regulations.
Raise awareness on data protection requirements.
Ensure coordination between the supervisory authorities and BLC Bank.
Act as a contact point for data subjects and the supervisory authority.
Submit periodic reports to BOD Compliance & AML/CFT Committee & Senior Management.
Coordinate with the Organization Department to align existing and new procedures with data protection regulations.

Ensure that all staff working under their responsibilities adheres to the instructions reflected in this policy.
Ensure incorporation of data protection requirements & best practices into business processes.

Develop and maintain an information and cyber security program including policies, procedures, controls, as well as awareness activities to ensure data protection commensurate with the level of acceptable risk as established by the Bank’s General Management.
Ensure incorporation of data protection requirements & best practices into business processes.
Report cyber security incidents involving personal data breaches to the DPO.

Amend BLC existing contracts, agreements and terms & conditions to include all data protection requirements.
Make sure that contracts, agreements, legal forms are aligned with data protection requirements.
Assist DPO in proper handling of conflictual situations arising from data breach.

Perform regular compliance audits to determine the level of compliance of Business & control functions with data protection requirements.
Inform the DPO about identified potential compliance weaknesses.
Submit periodic reports to BOD Audit Committee & Senior Management on the effectiveness of implemented security measures.

24

Ready for takeoff or Upclose with Maya Nasr

Powered by

BLC Bank

is member of

BLC Bank

is committed to

24

Ready for takeoff or Upclose with Maya Nasr

Powered by

BLC Bank

is member of

BLC Bank

is committed to

Cookie Disclaimer

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS A COOKIE?

WHAT DO WE USE COOKIES FOR?

WHICH COOKIES DO WE USE?

WHO HAS ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION?

SOCIAL MEDIA THIRD PARTY COOKIES

HOW TO REFUSE/DELETE COOKIES

CONTACT US

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

WHAT PERSONAL DATA WE PROCESS

SOURCES OF PERSONAL DATA

WHY WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA AND ON WHAT LEGAL BASIS

WHO RECEIVES YOUR PERSONAL DATA

RETENTION PERIOD

AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING (INCLUDING PROFILING)

DIRECT MARKETING

YOUR PERSONAL DATA RIGHTS

DATA SECURITY

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

COOKIES

LINKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA & OTHER WEBSITES

CONTACT US

INTRODUCTION

LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

PURPOSE & SCOPE

GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES

PROCESSING PERSONAL DATA

PROCESSING SENSITIVE DATA

REPORTING A PERSONAL DATA BREACH

DISCLOSURE AND TRANSFER OF DATA

DATA SUBJECTS’ RIGHTS AND REQUESTS

THIRD PARTY AGREEMENTS

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES