Student Profiles
Globalization can appear to be automatic—the effect of economic and historical forces beyond anyone's control—but this does not mean that the virtues required to thrive and lead in a global world come automatically. It is these qualities—empathy and the ability to think across cultural boundaries, the fortitude to lead in a climate of uncertainty, an all-embracing sense of adventure, the creativity to re-imagine not just solutions but a complete vision—that NYU Abu Dhabi seeks to develop to the utmost degree in its students.
The students below became part of the NYUAD community because they already exemplify these virtues, while exhibiting extraordinary potential to develop them even further. Here are their stories.
Student Profile Statistics
| Class of 2014 | Class of 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Class size* | 148 | 161 |
| Male/Female | 86/62 | 78/83 |
| Number of countries of origin | 40 | 60 |
| Languages spoken | 43 | 55 |
| SAT - Math - 25th/75th percentile | 690/780 | 710/800 |
| SAT - Critical Reading - 25th/75th percentile | 635/770 | 680/750 |
| Total applications – Dual NYUAD & NYUNY (NYUAD–only) | 9,048 (957) | 5,858 (1,222) |
| Total applicants admitted | 189 | 195 |
| * Total number of students beginning academic year | ||
Ahmed Mohammed Al Dhaheri
Class of 2014
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Ahmed Al Dhaheri lived a carefree life until the day he nearly lost his life. During the summer after his sophomore year, he was jet skiing with friends off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
Shaikha Al Falasi
Class of 2015
Dubai, UAE
It was the evening before National Day, the celebration of the unification of the seven Arab Emirates, and Al Mawakeb School in Dubai was a whirlwind of preparations.
Khalid Alqasimi
Class of 2015
Ras al Khaimah, UAE
Khalid Alqasimi's love of business began when he learned to interpret financial accounts through the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange website and the Bloomberg application...
Leena Asfour
Class of 2014
Dubai, UAE
On her first visit to her ancestral homeland of Palestine in 2008, Leena Asfour experienced a deeply underprivileged society where medical care was scant and people lived without...
Abel Belay
Class of 2015
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abel Belay believes his life has a specific purpose: to improve the lot of those suffering through poverty by means of education. The epiphany came early. When Abel was 13...
Ilya Bozhenkov
Class of 2015
St. Petersburg, Russia
Loaded down with books, the 13-year-old Ilya Bozhenkov descended into the cavernous depths of the St. Petersburg subway system. After 40 minutes of hurtling through...
Sachith Joseph Cheruvatur
Class of 2015
Kochi, India
In January 2010, the Indian Science Congress, the country's largest and most acclaimed body of scientists and researchers, conducted a national science essay-writing...
Brian Jaewon Chung
Class of 2015
North Vancouver, Canada
Brian Jaewon Chung downed a lukewarm glass of horse milk while masking his distaste and smiling politely at his Mongolian hosts. Rising from the felt floor of the ger, a...
Musbah Dilsebo
Class of 2014
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Born to farmers in the town of Liera in Ethiopia, Musbah Dilsebo sought something greater than an agrarian life in a place with no available secondary education.
Máté Bede-Fazekas
Class of 2014
Györ, Hungary
Ambling over to his family's extensive collection of music one day long ago, Máté Bede-Fazekas's eye fell upon a dusty cassette that read Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin.
Gabrielle Garcia
Class of 2015
Muntinlupa, Philippines
As she was kneeling on the floor beside her three-year-old cousin, Mateo, Gabrielle Garcia struggled to engage him in simple conversation. Because he wouldn't make...
James Hunt
Class of 2014
Virginia, USA
For James Hunt, family discussions around his childhood dinner table would range from the implications of the Russian invasion of Georgia to the role of medical vaccines...
Danyang Kang
Class of 2015
Chongqing, China
Some study languages for the purpose of gaining an edge in business or competing for a high political post, but Danyang's commitment to learning languages is driven...
Olga Karpova
Class of 2015
Dzerzhinsk, Russia/Liepaja, Latvia
Olga Karpova leans against an elegantly curved steel rail on Abu Dhabi's corniche, her eyes scanning the city's elaborate skyline. For a moment she pauses while a warm breeze...
Nikolai Kozak
Class of 2015
Santiago, Chile
While sailing as part of the crew of a 34-foot competitive sailboat, on an excursion to the Port of Algarrobo near Santiago, Chile, Nikolai Kozak got a chance to test his will against the notoriously treacherous southern Pacific.
James Lloyd
Class of 2014
Marlborough, United Kingdom
James Lloyd may love the joy of "intellectual duels," but his real epiphany came when the slim Englishman lifted weights with athletes twice his size as "research" for an article he was writing.
Emma McGee
Class of 2015
California, USA
On June 25th, 2010, Emma McGee left Sonoma California for Cambodia and Laos with no possessions other than one chili-colored backpack half full of the basics.
Nishant Mohanchandra
Class of 2014
New Delhi, India
The world is a series of mathematical laws and patterns to Nishant Mohanchandra, who is a passionate computer programmer.
Esther Olayiwola
Class of 2015
London, UK
Esther Olayiwola was the youngest person in a room filled with seasoned politicos. The occasion was a high-profile meeting on the alarming incidence of child poverty in Europe.
Keriana Rennie
Class of 2015
Osaka, Japan/Hamilton, New Zealand
In 2010, Keriana Rennie found herself standing before a class of German high school students in Munich as an ambassador of the culture of Japan, a culture she herself had...
Nasser Siadat
Class of 2014
Indiana, USA
On September 12, 2001, just a day after the devastating terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Nasser Siadat witnessed a tragedy much closer to home.
Jamie Sutherland
Class of 2015
West Sussex, United Kingdom
Contributing to 13 theater productions, two of which he directed and one of which he wrote, Jamie Sutherland was his school's most prolific actor. As a poet, he was awarded...
Meike Sydney Radler
Class of 2014
Calgary, Canada/Hong Kong
It was after eight months of preparation that Meike found herself in a room full of people who rarely spoke to each other, much less shared deep-seated and painful memories.
Claudia P. Carrasco Valdich
Class of 2014
La Paz, Bolivia
On a clear night, Claudia Carrasco Valdich likes to look at the stars and wonder about the immensity of the universe. "I am considering physics as a major," she says.
Luka Vasilj
Class of 2015
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Amman, Jordan
Luka Vasilj and two friends were out for an evening stroll. Deep in conversation, their footsteps brought them, almost unbidden, across the narrow span of the Stari Most...
Xiaomei "Ivy" Wu
Class of 2014
Chengdu, China
Studying day and night, Xiaomei Wu scored the highest exam marks in her class of 9,000 students — a stunning achievement by any measure.
Amel Yagoub
Class of 2015
Maryland, USA
When her friends convinced her to audition for the annual school play about the September 11 World Trade Center attack, Amel was nervous. As a Muslim American...
Sora Yang
Class of 2014
Baulkham Hills, Australia
To Sora Yang, world cultures form a spectrum of lenses for viewing everything from politics and religion to art and everyday life.
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