Students from Saudi Aramco's Gifted Students Program met recently with Abdullah S. Jum'ah, president and CEO. The students are participating in a Saudi Aramco enrichment program designed to provide exceptional Saudi youth with practical skills that will benefit them and the Kingdom in the future. Jum'ah explained that this program aligns with one of the company's Corporate Imperatives: to contribute to the development of the Saudi community-and of its youth. "Oil may be our main resource underground," Jum'ah said, "but the more important resource is above ground: our minds." To help harness that resource, Saudi Aramco has worked with the King Abdulaziz Foundation for the Gifted to conduct this program for seven consecutive years and has been a leader among the 20 participating organizations. "Saudi Aramco is the backbone of the Kingdom's economy," added Jum'ah, referring to the second key role the company played. "It allows the government to spend on health, education and other necessities inside the Kingdom." Another of the company's defining roles is to supply the world with a reliable source of energy. Saudi Aramco's daily output of 9.5 million barrels meets about 11 percent of global demand. "But being gifted is not enough," Jum'ah advised the students, "rather, it is only one of the many factors necessary for success." He explained that success requires hard work, diligence, punctuality, leadership and teamwork. Jum'ah finally advised the students to be ambitious but patient, cautioning them that "trying to climb the ladder too fast may cause you to fall." He then urged the students to continue learning, just as he learns every day.
