Abu Dhabi: Armed with a postgraduate degree from a globally reputed university, many youngsters are too impatient to wait to using their expertise to change the world.
“I would like to start working immediately [without considering high studies option] because I am eager to contribute to the positive changes in my country and the world,” Azza Ahmad Al Raisi, 24, an Emirati postgraduate in Water and Environmental Engineering from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News on Wednesday on the sidelines of the institute’s fourth commencement ceremony.
“I would like to serve the UAE,” she added.
She was one among 130 students from 29 countries across the world who received their Master of Science degrees in eight disciplines from Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, and Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, at the ceremony at Emirates Palace in the capital.
Shaikh Hamed said that the graduation of Class 2014 students from the Masdar Institute reaffirms the commitment of the UAE to develop qualified specialists in advanced energy and sustainable technologies, as well as a new generation of research scientists and experts. These efforts are inspired by the directives of the founding father of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who strongly urged that the country’s environment and natural resources be preserved.
Shaikh Hamed added that the UAE leadership is always working for the good of the country’s most precious resource – its people – as recommended by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He thanked General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his tireless efforts to support science, engineering and technology education for the good of the UAE and its citizens.
In his keynote speech, Shaikh Nahyan said Masdar Institute has achieved success within such a short period while contributing largely to creating and developing qualified human capital specialised in sustainable and renewable energy. His ministry is currently working on a new strategy to enhance its growing contribution to ensure the community’s growth remains sustainable.
Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State, Chairman of Masdar and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Masdar Institute, said: “The development of our human capital and the establishment of an entrepreneurial, research and development environment in Abu Dhabi underpin our leadership’s vision of diversifying our economy.”
Parents, relatives and friends of graduates shared their happiness. Azza’s father, Maj Gen Ahmad Nasser Al Raisi, General Director of Central Operations in Abu Dhabi Police, told Gulf News: “I am sure my daughter will be a star along with many other Emirati youngsters who are playing a crucial role in the UAE’s progress,”
Khalid Saleh, 22, an Egyptian postgraduate in Electrical Power Engineering, would like to return to his home country after studying for a PhD from a Canadian university. “I would like to become a professor and contribute to the development of Egypt,” he said.
