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NYU Abu Dhabi Emirati Graduate Named Fulbright Scholar

Sara Bahermez will begin a two-year graduate program at Towson University in September 2016

Press Release

NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Class of 2016 graduate, Sara Bahermez, 20, is the first Emirati from NYUAD to be awarded the Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship. In September, Bahermez will travel to Towson University in Maryland to begin a two-year graduate program.

The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually to students from more than 155 countries, and roughly 4,000 are awarded to the Fulbright Foreign Students Scholarship.

Bahermez, graduated from NYUAD in May with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and theater. Bahermez said: “I am incredibly honored to be chosen as a Fulbright scholar and thrilled to begin my master’s education with such a prestigious scholarship. NYU Abu Dhabi and the Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship gave me a strong and vibrant foundation, and it thrills me to know that my education does not end after my graduation cap was thrown into the air.” Bahermez added, “I look to my family, who have been incredibly supportive in my educational endeavors and who pushed me to strive toward zenith and pave my own path. I’m excited to work and study with the incredibly highly esteemed faculty members at Towson University that I know will challenge me toward further growth. And I look forward to using my higher education and Fulbright experience to be an active participant in the transformative economy and ever- growing global culture in the UAE.”

NYUAD Director of Global Awards, Doug Cutchins said: “We are all very proud of Sara, as she becomes NYUAD's first Emirati winner of a prestigious Fulbright grant. Sara's pursuit of theater demonstrates the full value of an NYUAD liberal arts education, and we look forward to the many meaningful contributions she will make to the development of the UAE arts program in future years.”

Two recent NYUAD alumni received U.S. Student Fulbright Study Grants in 2016 in support of their individual research projects. Class of 2016 graduate Samia Ahmed was awarded the grant based on her proposal, “Why Some Young Canadian Muslims Are Radicalized” and will be studying in the Religion & Globalization program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Class of 2016 graduate Zoe Hu won the grant in support of her project, "Empowering Women in Media: How Moroccan Media Publicizes Gender Equality Progress." Hu will be affiliated with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program was initiated in 1946 by the U.S. government to foster international relationships with other countries and promote a strong intercultural educational opportunity.

For more information about the Fulbright Foreign Student Program visit: https://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/

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.