Merna Elrakkad

When I think about my time at NYUAD, I don’t immediately think about the big moments. I think about the random, ordinary ones that somehow ended up meaning the most. I think about the late-night conversations that started with “just five minutes” and somehow turned into hours.

Walking across campus and running into someone who completely changed my day. Sitting with friends and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. NYUAD has this way of making people from completely different places feel like family so quickly, and that’s something I never expected but will always be grateful for.

At the same time, some of the learning experiences here were so unique that they almost don’t feel real when I think back on them. Through J-Terms and classes, I found myself doing things I never imagined I’d do in college, like snorkeling in Ramhan Island looking for archaeological remains Character Count: 665Word Count: 107Line Count: 20

underwater, traveling to Uganda to interview teenage mothers about their experiences with health inequity, building houses in Jordan, and studying the bubonic plague in Spain and visiting the places where that history unfolded. Moments like that made learning feel incredibly real and meaningful in a way that goes far beyond a classroom. Of course, it wasn’t always easy. There were moments when things felt overwhelming, when I was trying to figure myself out, or when the future felt uncertain. But what made those moments easier was always the people around me. Someone checking in, sitting with you, or reminding you that you’re not going through things alone.

If there’s one thing I’ll take with me from NYUAD, it’s the people. The friendships, the laughter, the sense of community that somehow makes this place feel like home even though we all come from different corners of the world.