My name is Amy Stroup. I am the current President of American Women’s Association of Bahrain. We moved here in January 2020 from Dallas, TX for my husband to head the Bahrain office of Solomon Associates. My husband Jon and I celebrated 30 years of marriage in April of this year and are enjoying life tremendously in beautiful Bahrain.

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Spanish from the University of Oklahoma and the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain.  We have a daughter, 25 who works for Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency in Dallas. Our older son, 24, is married and completing his pre-med classes in Houston and our younger son is studying Aeronautical Engineering at Texas A&M.

Why did I join AWA?

Honestly, I had no intention to immediately join AWA, but when we arrived, the couple who was transferring out, his wife, Elyse was a board member of AWA and really encouraged me to join. I am so glad that I did. I have met so many wonderful and talented ladies from all over the world who have challenged me to become a stronger woman. I have seen and experienced more of Bahrain than I ever could have on my own. I have participated in activities like Women of Taste luncheons at different cultural restaurants, On Island Tour, where we’ve learned about the history of Bahrain, participated in a Diwali celebration and wore a Saree for the first time. I’ve learned my way around the Manama Souq with the help of a Bahraini board member and purchased a custom made Jalabiya for National Day.

I would never have had in so many cultural and diplomatic opportunities without AWA. We have enjoyed the strong support of the US Embassy, led by the Charge’ d’ Affairs, Margaret Nardi, as well as the US Navy, led by Admiral Cooper and his wife, Susan.

I look forward to volunteering with the many charities we support in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Many of them have not been available for visiting until now due to COVID. We have continued our financial support.

I encourage ladies across Bahrain to get involved in AWA. We’re working on plans to start an evening meeting soon for working ladies and others who are unable to attend during the day.

I hope to serve again as President of AWA in the coming year. My heart for AWA is connection, welcoming and helping ladies get involved in this amazing community.I hope that anyone who reads this strongly considers joining this great organization.