A university in Abu Dhabi is drawing an increasing number of students from the US, who are coming to the capital for a multicultural experience and expressing their intentions to return to live and work here.
This outcome reflects the Global Education programme at New York University Abu Dhabi that has become an essential component of the campuses’ educational mission and curriculum.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, transfer students emphasised that they are now encouraging their friends and peers at the main campus in New York to visit the UAE and experience its rich, multi-ethnic, and multicultural environment.
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“One of the things I love most about this campus is the strong sense of community. I’ve told many people about it (campus) and even inspired several friends to come to this campus. The community you become a part of here is truly special,’ said Isaiah Blemur.
Isaiah, who is benefitting from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Global Education, has gained a profound appreciation for Arab culture and the family-friendly environment that the UAE offers.
The 21-year-old, originally from the New York campus, has spent a total of six months in the country so far. He returned to Abu Dhabi for a second time and has been calling NYU Abu Dhabi home for nearly a month now.
‘Fallen in love with the Arab culture’
Notably, every semester, NYU Abu Dhabi is home to visiting students like Isaiah from NYU in New York and NYU Shanghai.
“I have fallen in love with the Arab culture. I am a Christian, but I now love the culture here, and I learnt a lot about my Muslim brothers and sisters and their faith during my Spring semester when I came here. I did observe a few fasts during Ramadan for a couple of days. It’s such a family-oriented environment. It’s not just about going out with friends and playing video games. It’s experiencing life per se as you sit down together for a meal. That I would say is a key takeaway for me.”
Learning different Arabic dialects –‘beautiful language’
Meanwhile, Isaiah has been taking Arabic lessons and learning different dialects of the language.
“I loved the experience the first time when I came here. It’s my fourth week being here back in the UAE, and I love every single part of it. I like making friends and I met a lot of people from Sudan, Emiratis, Palestinians, basically people from around the Middle East. It’s been a very enlightening cultural experience and Arabic is a beautiful language.”
For Isaiah, this has been one of his first experiences visiting a Middle Eastern country, and he stressed that it was also “one of the best experiences of my life”.
Exploring the world, an opportunity that his mum missed
Narrating his back story, Isiah said that his desire to return to Abu Dhabi stems from a story his mother shared about her regret of not studying abroad in China due to certain misconceptions fuelled by people.
“This inspired me to embrace new cultural experiences, which I’ve always loved, and take on that opportunity that my mum missed out on and instead explore the world.”
Isaiah, who has formed lifelong friendships here, has already established strong connections in the country. He explained, in New York, there isn’t much of a sense of campus life, as everyone is always busy.
“In New York, you don’t really get that sense of community or campus because everyone is hustling. But here on this campus, you have your classes on the first floor, you have the gym on the ground floor, and you have everything provided to you so that you’re given an environment where you can study and work to your best ability because your professors live right next door. They don’t have to commute for hours like they would in New York. So, they are always there for you. I feel people are happier here.”
Isaiah, a passionate foodie, highlighted that food for him is an excellent conversation starter and a means of connecting with people from diverse cultures, fuelling his love for travel and cultural exploration.
“I am a big foodie. Kuboos with Hummus has become my staple. I actually make Feta now. Biriyani is pretty big here. I really enjoy the Middle Eastern cuisine.”
Focusing on ‘Heritage Management and Heritage Studies’
Similarly, Natalia Oben who is here for the Fall semester and intends to continue being here till the Spring semester is double majoring in Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology.
She explained the robust academic offerings at NYU Abu Dhabi, including courses like “Judging Heritage: Cultural Property Law & Preservation Policies,” align perfectly with her career objectives.
“The opportunity to engage in these specialied topics, particularly those that emphasize linguistic identities, will equip me with critical skills necessary for excelling in my field,” said Natalia.
“While I am here at NYU Abu Dhabi I am doing more Heritage Management and studies. When I had originally applied to NYU, I had thought of doing human rights and work in the pre law field, but now that, I’ve gotten more experience with different cultures and learning Arabic, I see myself more on the public policy side, advocating working with people, and mostly migrants, especially in the Gulf. I would also want to help preserve the language and culture,” she added.
‘It’s a dream come true for me’
She reiterates that she greatly values the diversity of ethnicities and nationalities that she’s previously experienced.
Natalia pointed out that the interrelated academic and intercultural experiences over the undergraduate years foster a greater intercultural understanding of social responsibility both globally and locally.
“I feel like I am branching together two different timelines of my upbringing and theirs (locals) at the same time. I envisage myself to be coming back to the UAE to work,” added the 20-year-old.
A process of intellectual and social maturation over multiple years
Shedding light on the programme, a faculty member from the NYUAD campus stressed that the thoughtfully designed learning environments here serve as crucial laboratories within the liberal arts and sciences framework, just as essential as a state-of-the-art chemistry lab, an art studio, or a biological field station.
Carol Brandt, Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor of Global Education and Outreach at NYU Abu Dhabi said, “Just as the development of critical thinking skills is not produced in one course but through a process of intellectual and social maturation over multiple years, an NYUAD global education is not the product of a single experience abroad or more generally traveling.”
She explained it is cultivated through well-guided, iterative interactions with otherness. Additionally, it is produced by bringing critical reflection and disciplined analysis to those experiences.
“It manifests in the ability to ask and respond to questions of global human significance with an ever more unprejudiced mind. It helps students understand the ethical and social consequences of knowledge and action as they develop their capacity to be responsible local citizens and leaders in the communities they become part of and help build in the UAE, abroad, and at home,” added Brandt.