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NYUAD Announces Recipients of 2013 Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students

Exterior of NYU Abu Dhabi downtown campus.

Press Release

Thirty-two high-achieving secondary school students have been selected to participate in the NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Summer Academy, a rigorous 18-month enrichment program, as recipients of the 2013 Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students. Now in its third year, the program offers an immersive educational experience that prepares Abu Dhabi-based Emirati students for entry into top-tier English-language universities throughout the world — including NYUAD. The students were selected based on consideration of their academic achievement, English-language comprehension, motivation to attend college, leadership and interpersonal skills, and potential for growth and improvement.

The program curriculum focuses on the development of critical thinking, writing, and discussion in English; quantitative reasoning; standardized test preparation; public speaking; and leadership. Taking place during the two summers following the 10th and 11th grades and including three semesters of online and in-person instruction throughout the academic year, the Summer Academy introduces students to the academic standards, norms, and values appropriate to the culture of leading international higher education institutions, in addition to providing college admission counseling. This comprehensive educational experience is supported both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities at NYUAD, NYU New York, and NYU Florence.

“We are committed to investing in our youth and providing them with the tools to develop into capable future leaders across all sectors,” said HH Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as a key advisor to the program. “This program provides not only academic and intellectual development opportunities to help them succeed, but also builds their confidence and inspires them to reach their potential.”

During the first summer period, students study for approximately three weeks at NYUAD, and have the opportunity to travel to NYU’s academic center in Florence, Italy, for 10 additional days of study. The second summer session is similarly divided between Abu Dhabi and NYU New York. In addition to continuing their academic program in Florence and New York, the students engage in cultural activities — such as visits to museums, historical sites, cultural events, and private meetings with local leaders. To provide continued support throughout the academic year, students also participate in online instruction and assignments, SAT test preparation, and three face-to-face weekend programs during the 11th and 12th grades.

“Our first class of Summer Academy students graduated from the program at the end of last year, and I remain astounded by the remarkable progress they have made in a short period of time. Many of them have been accepted by leading universities and colleges around the world, including five to NYUAD or NYU New York. We have seen them grow not only intellectually, but personally, and also have seen them form deep and lasting bonds with their classmates,” Diane C. Yu, executive director of the Summer Academy and deputy president of NYU, said. "We are excited to welcome our most recent class of students into this group of accomplished young scholars."

The recipients of the 2013 Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students are:

  • Abdulrahman Fouad Mohamed Al Hadhrami (Al Ittihad Model School)
  • Ahmed Yousef Ali Sulaiman Al Kendi (Military High School)
  • Aisha Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed Al Ahmadi (Al Ittihad National Private School)
  • Aldana Mohamed Jasem Hasan Bin Jaafar (Glenelg School)
  • Ali Ahmed Ali Rabeyah Al Shamsi (Military High School)
  • Ali Khaled Saeed Nayem Al Kaabi (Military High School)
  • Ali Saif Gharib Salem Al Dhaheri (Military High School)
  • Alyazia Saeed Abdulla Abduljaleel Al Fahim (Sheikh Zayed Private Academy)
  • Amna Abdalla Ahmed Abdalla Al Harmoodi (Sheikh Zayed Private Academy)
  • Anood Aidhah Omar Saeed Al Katheeri (Institute of Applied Technology)
  • Aya Abdulla Najemaldeen Abdulla Hamoodi (British School Al Khubairat)
  • Ayesha Matar Khalfan Matar Al Romaithi (Palestine Secondary School)
  • Ayesha Mohamed Saif Ghanem Al Suwaidi (Sheikh Zayed Private Academy)
  • Badir Haidar Nader Al Sheikh Khazaal (British School Al Khubairat)
  • Faisal Abdulraheem Ali Hasan Al Hosani (American International School)
  • Ghadeer Aidhah Omar Saeed Al Katheeri (Institute of Applied Technology)
  • Hajer Adaid Saeed Khalfan Bin Sedaira Al Mansouri (Sheikh Zayed Private Academy)
  • Hamad Saeed Obaid Mohammed Al Kaabi (Emirates National School)
  • Jude Rashed Mubarak Rashed Al Hajeri (American International School)
  • Khuloud Ali Mubarak Obaid (Institute of Applied Technology
  • Lamya Ismail Abdulla Mohammed Bukhashim (Glenelg School)
  • Mariam Majid Husain Ahmed Al Katheeri (Glenelg School)
  • Mazna Suhail Hamad Mohammed Al Jenaibi (Institute of Applied Technology)
  • Mohamed Adel Abdulla Abdulaziz Taha Al Shamry Al Ajmi (International School of Choueifat)
  • Nasser Sulaiman Ismaeil Saddiq Othman (Military High School)
  • Nouf Saqer Mohamed Saqer Albinali (Al Ittihad National Private School)
  • Reem Zaid Alruwaiei Beshr Al Menhali (Institute of Applied Technology)
  • Saeed Mohammed Saeed Bin Marran Al Dhaheri (American International School)
  • Saif Ali Saif Mohammed Saif Humaidan Al Zaabi (Military High School)
  • Saif Haidar Nader Al Shaikh Khazaal (British School Al Khubairat)
  • Sara Abdulla Satam Al Traibeel (Rosary Private School)
  • Sultan Mohamed Tayeb Abdulraheem Al Marzooqi (Institute of Applied Technology)

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.