More Than Donors: How Nabil and Diana Abou Nassr-Eddine Are Inspiring the Next Generation to Give Back
October 7, 2026
Most scholarship donors are thanked as benefactors. But when the students supported by Mr. Nabil Abou Nassr-Eddine and Mrs. Diana Abou Nassr-Eddine gathered with them on campus in the early days of the Fall semester, they addressed them differently: Ammo Nabil and Tante Diana.
The terms of endearment, meaning “uncle” and “aunt” in Arabic, speak to a relationship that extends far beyond financial support. Throughout the afternoon, students spoke about the couple not as donors, but as mentors, role models, and even family. For these LAU students, Nabil and Diana are people they call for advice not just on academic challenges but on life beyond the classroom as well.
LAU’s Advancement Office recently launched the first of a series of Donor Appreciation meetings, pairing supporters with their beneficiaries. As students shared their stories and sought advice, everyone present at the event bore witness to the depth of the relationship between the Abou Nassr-Eddines and their scholars.
Humble Beginnings
Mr. Nabil Abou Nassr-Eddine grew up in a small house in Aley, Mount Lebanon, in a family of very modest means. After Nabil finished high school, his father, a gardener, told him that it was time to build a house next to theirs, get married, and have children. But Nabil had other plans. He studied intensely during the day and worked hard at night.
Determined to build a different future for himself, he eventually made his way to the United States, where he earned an engineering degree and laid the foundations for a successful career. While in the United States, he met Dr. John Moses Abou Diwan, a Lebanese dentist, whose generosity deeply shaped his journey, providing mentorship and support when he needed it most.
“I asked him, ‘Why do you help me? What do you want from me?’” Nabil recalled. “He hugged me and said, ‘One day you’ll find someone who needs help, and you’ll help them.’”
It was a lesson that would stay with him for life and eventually become the foundation of his own philosophy of giving back.
After 15 years as an electrical engineer, Nabil took another leap of faith, leaving his profession to start a business. With Diana, who holds a degree in physics and helped build the company from the ground up, he established a furniture business that has served commercial clients for more than three decades. Their success would eventually enable them to pursue a different goal: opening doors for young people through education, just as others had once helped Nabil.
In 2009, they set up the Lebanese Orphans Virtuous Education (L.O.V.E.) America Foundation in Charlotte, North Carolina, providing scholarships that help young people pursue higher education. The Foundation reflects a commitment that has guided the couple’s philanthropy for years: creating educational opportunities for students to reach their full potential. More recently, they brought that same commitment to Lebanon through the Nabil & Diana Abou Nassr-Eddine Endowed Scholarship Fund at LAU, extending their support to the next generation of Lebanese students. Returning to visit Lebanon once a year helps them continue to feel connected to the youth of their homeland. Reflecting on the students supported through their philanthropy, Diana expressed both gratitude and pride. “We love them one by one,” she said.
More Than Just Donors
Nabil and Diana are not your average scholarship donors. “The difference between me and a lot of donors who donate money is that I get involved in their lives,” Nabil explains. Their support often extends well beyond tuition assistance. Students call them for advice on academic setbacks and personal challenges, knowing they will find encouragement as much as guidance.
For the students, the Abou Nassr-Eddines’ impact extends well beyond the classroom. “They gave me something much more than a scholarship,” said computer science student Malak Al Ghareeb. “When I struggled academically, they didn’t give up on me. I felt that someone was always encouraging me, someone was beside me. They reminded me that a difficult beginning does not define the end of your story.” Mechatronics engineering student Hady Ballout echoed the sentiment. “I don’t look at them as donors anymore. I look at them as family,” he said. “I just pick up the phone and talk to them.” For first-year business marketing student Amer Chazbek, the couple’s greatest gift may be the example they have set. “I hope that one day I can give back and help someone else the way they have helped me.”
As he communicates with the students, Nabil repeatedly comes back to this core message: he and Diana do not simply want to provide financial support; they want to inspire them to be future givers themselves. Their approach reflects the values LAU seeks to instill in its students: using education not only as a pathway to personal success, but also as a means of developing future leaders who will contribute to their communities and help shape Lebanon’s future.
The greatest measure of the Abou Nassr-Eddines’ impact may not be the number of students they support, but the number who choose to follow their example. As Malak recalled, Nabil often reminds his scholarship beneficiaries: “I don’t want my story to end here. I want you to continue with my story.”
Judging by the aspirations shared around the table that afternoon, the next chapter of that story is already being written.