As we celebrate Emirati Women’s day today our Year 13 pupil Hessa reflects on her contributors of success, the evolving role of Emirati Women and provides advice to young Emirati women.

"In order to succeed in life you must be willing to do everything in your power for your ‘future self’. You must take any opportunity that is available to you, and acquire as much benefits as you can from it. At the same time, I always make sure that I celebrate my accomplishments, and reward myself. As they say, ‘reward yourself for the work you’ve done daily. It’ll keep you working harder’. If you do not reward yourself, you won’t feel as motivated to pursue more successes and you might even end up affecting your mental health. Moreover, I always like to divide a big task into small tasks so that again, I reward myself for every small bit, and get to the end result even quicker. Furthermore, in the subject of mental health, I also like to take care of myself by meditating, and having some time where I do nothing, and reflect on everything that is going on in my life. Stopping for a second really helps get you get back into an aware state because sometimes it seems like time is running so fast, and it can be so overwhelming.

I would  like to thank the U.A.E government for its continuous dedication towards evolving women’s role and power in society. From the start, the U.A.E and their leader, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, may his soul rest in peace, have always had an open mind due to their wisdom and desire to make the U.A.E successful. As Sheikh Zayed said, ‘Women have equal rights to men in assuming top positions that befit their abilities and qualifications’. They knew, and still know that without women, we cannot succeed as a nation. Therefore, I believe that the Emirati women’s role is already a success, but their role will continue to expand in the future. I believe women will take even more high ranking positions, positions that are fundamental to the U.A.E and that they will have the power to make huge decisions. I also believe that the minority of women who do not possess a job will vanish, and that all women will have some kind of role in developing the U.A.E.

To all the Emirati women out there, please take advantage of the opportunities our nation has given us. There are so many, yet many of us don’t know about them. Be attentive, and search for them. As His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, ‘Opportunities are made, they do not just lie around waiting for someone to grab them’. From scholarships such as the NYUAD Summer Academy, to competitions such as the Abu Dhabi Science Festival, everything you can think of and more has been made for you to benefit from. These opportunities will not only prepare you to make an impact in the future, but also provide chances for you to actually make an impact. For example, if you succeed in a competition such as the ADSF, you will meet many people interested in developing your ideas and making them happen." - Hessa, Year 13