Moody Demetry is an Egyptian American who spent his adolescence in Egypt. At the age of 19, Moody decided to travel to the United States in 1996 to finish his undergraduate studies. Since his move, Mr. Demetry has been volunteering with his local church and many nonprofit organizations in the U.S. (Egypt Negma, Egypt Rise, Big Brother Big Sister, and many more). This gave him valuable experience in leading a grassroots movement and motivating others to join in a remarkable and transformational effort to make a substantial impact on the lives of the young generation of Egypt.
In 2013, having seen first-hand how education in the U.S. empowers people and changes lives, Mr. Demetry started his initiative, “Heya Masr” (She is Egypt). His belief in the power of education motivated him to invest in the lives of young Egyptians. He believes that the educational activities provided by Heya Masr will foster the growth and development of strong characters for the young women of Egypt who participate in this program. Many of these girls reside in slums and do not have access to education, and many others have dropped out of school. We believe in the potential of every girl; with the proper support, guidance, and education, they can fully reach their potential. Moody is determined to carry out the same passion, perseverance, energy, and focus of making a positive mark on the future of youth in Egypt.
For the full interview with Mr. Demetry, click here.
Moody’s background is in Engineering and Management. He finished his undergraduate degree and received his BS. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2005 from the New York Institute of Technology. During his senior year, he was hired as an associate engineer. Within their first two years of working as an engineer, Moody decided to continue his studies while working full-time. He successfully earned his MS in Engineering Management in 2007 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Given Moody’s strong organizational and communication skills and extensive experience in project management and leadership, Moody earned the title of engineering vice president Within the past 5 years. He is now leading a team of 35 engineers and designers responsible for multimillion-dollar projects in a renewable solar company.
During a 2012 visit to Egypt, he sensed an urgent need to support the young generations there. He spent a full year researching what he could do to impact the future of Egyptians. In late 2013, Heya Masr’s initiative came to life to empower girls with a sense of hope and confidence to build a strong and energized character to challenge any circumstance.
Heya Masr aims to build a sense of dignity and pride in young Egyptian women by increasing their self-confidence and empowering them mentally and physically by providing them with a nurturing, safe environment for character development, sports fitness, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, self-defense, and harassment awareness. In 2017, Moody registered the organization with the Ministry of Solidarity of Egypt and expanded the work to boys, girls, and parents to impact the whole community.
Moody strongly believes that helping girls during adolescence to be stronger, stable, more confident, and independent will positively impact Egypt’s future for generations to come.
“Egyptian women must believe in themselves and know they are transformational agents” ~ Moody Demetry, Founder and CEO