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Special Olympics Athlete Loretta Claiborne Visits NYU Abu Dhabi

In honor of the Special Olympics, NYU Abu Dhabi screened The Loretta Claiborne Story

Press Release

NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) welcomed Special Olympics athlete and global motivational speaker Loretta Claiborne, along with over 100 athletes from the UAE and US Special Olympics teams to its campus for a special film screening. As part of the Determined! film series, and in collaboration with the US Embassy, The Loretta Claiborne Story screened on March 12 to a packed audience.

Claiborne was greeted on arrival by NYUAD student athletes, US Embassy officials, and NYUAD’s official mascot Faiza the Falcon. Prior to the screening, Claiborne delivered inspirational opening remarks in which she described life’s journey being about: “simply falling over and getting back up again.” She also encouraged participating athletes to try their best and make their respective countries proud.   

The film documents Claiborne’s life and how she was introduced to the Special Olympics, which she described as a “turning point” in her life. Claiborne won her first gold medal in the 1983 World Games, and has since won dozens of medals at various events; she is also a seasoned athlete in karate, skiing, skating, and basketball.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.

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