Walaa Al Mostadi is an assistant professor at the Department of Public Administration at King Abdulaziz University. She graduated from the Saint Louis University in USA with a doctorate in Public Policy and Administration Analysis, and to top all the afore mentioned, she is the first Saudi woman to do so.
We had the pleasure of catching up with her, and asking her a couple of questions about her impressive and commendable journey.
About Her Choice of Profession
“Public Policy Analysis is one of the main and critical branches of public administration”. This is what Dr. Walaa Al-Mostadi started with. She added, “I chose this specialization after it caught my interest while I was studying for my master in Public Administration. It’s a field that is constantly changing and evolving, and therefore attracts many researchers and scholars of public administration and political science.”
About the Career Paths Available for This Specialty
She added that the jobs available for this specialization, other than academic establishments, can be found at ministries, government bodies and agencies, regional and international organizations and non-profit organizations, and research and consulting centers.
Although this may seem like quite a lot, Dr. Mostadi spoke of the difficulties she encountered during her study journey, she said: “Of course it was not free of difficulties, but my love for my specialization, my studies, and my determination to succeed by God’s will I have overcome the obstacles that faced me.”
About the Political Role of Saudi women
On the role of women expected in the political arena in Saudi Arabia, the expert said: “Recently, we found a strong participation of Saudi women in the political and development process. They’re holding many important and effective positions in the country, and they’ve proved themselves worthy in every way. And with Vision 2030 and the Kingdom pushing women empowerment and participation in development and decision-making, we’ve witnessed an increase in national numbers. It has come to a point where the participation of Saudi women is expected and imperative in the manufacture and analysis of policies. We will very soon see more and more Saudi women assuming leadership positions in ministries, embassies, and attachés.”
