Reem Al Gurg is a young Emirati mother who has done her country proud in various fields — education, literature, health care, nutrition and research. She holds two master’s degrees — one in Nutrigenomics and the other in health care management and leadership. She has been a teacher; she has attended conferences across the world and addressed international audiences on the subject of nutrition and health care. She is now doing her Doctoral Research in Healthcare Management at the University of Bradford. “Reaching high positions would need having a solid baseline knowledge with leadership qualities. That would be the perfect mixture for a bright future,” she says.
In 2008, Reem broke the Guinness World Record for the largest bead mosaic. Called Sahara Vision, the 3.75 square-metre artwork was made of 18,231 wooden beads and represented the confluence of Dubai’s reality and mysticism. “Dubai as a city inspires me. I’m really proud to be living here. It’s amazing how much the city has changed and accomplished in such a short span of time. The transformation of the city has happened in the past few decades, and I am only a child of the 80s.”
After the birth of her first daughter Wid, Reem realised that there weren’t many Arabic books dedicated to young readers, and decided to write children’s books. Reem’s debut book Wid and Walid revolves around the journey of two siblings around the UAE.
This National Day, Reem will launch the app/e-book of Wid and Walid, this time the two adventurous characters go around the seven emirates, thus celebrating National Day. Reem’s message to the youth is, “Find your dreams, list your goals, spend time working hard on what you love, and that would make you different and stand out.” She also adds, “Read, read, read!”
