Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Hind Ahmed Addawi, a Saudi scholarship student at Kent State University in the United States, obtained her doctorate degree in physics earlier this week.

By doing this, she fulfilled the dream of her husband Qasim Addawi, who drowned in Niagara Falls in New York State nearly three years ago.

Addawi, himself a scholarship student in the US, had his tragic end when he took his wife and three children for a picnic at Niagara in July 2019.

In an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Hind said she fulfilled the dream of her deceased husband who supported and encouraged her to obtain a doctorate. She thanked the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for realizing all their dreams.

She said: “The journey was never easy; it was full of challenges, especially after my husband’s death. I became a mother and (had to shoulder the responsibility of) a father. I worked on my thesis from morning to evening and returned home to complete my household tasks and take care of the children. There was no time to rest as I focused on my studies and my concern was bringing down the course duration as much as possible,” she said while noting “at last it was crowned with success, and I was one of among the graduates who made outstanding performance.”

Hind noted that the presence of her parents with her in the United States was a big support for her in accomplishing her doctorate degree. She said their presence eased most of her hardships following the unexpected demise of her husband.

She said that doing scientific experiments in advanced international laboratories under the supervision of distinguished scientists ignited her passion and prompted her to continue pursuing higher studies in her hours of distress.

Hind was upbeat about imparting what she had learned to the sons and daughters of her country. She thanked Saudi Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema Bint Bandar for supporting her during her studies after the death of her husband. She also thanked the cultural attaché at the embassy and the Saudi Club at the University of Kent for their unwavering support.

Qasim Addawi was a Saudi doctoral student in the field of technology and aviation management in the United States. Addawi took his wife and two sons Abdullah and Mohammed and daughter Arjuan for a picnic in Niagara Falls. When they were preparing to leave, he got out of the car to snap a last photo of the place before leaving but he never came back.

The family waited for a long time in the car but when he did not show up, Hind informed his brother and friends about his missing. An eyewitness said he saw Addawi falling into the water. A few days later his body was found on the Canadian side of the waterfall. The Saudi consulate in Washington arranged for the repatriation of the body to the Kingdom. He was buried at Al-Shuhadaa Cemetery in Al-Sharaie neighborhood in Makkah.