The winners are Sarah Al Saeid, Ahmed Muhammad Zameer, Manaswi Madichetty and Sarah Al Dulaimmi.

Four outstanding students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) were awarded the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship for the academic year 2020-2021 in recognition of their academic excellence, leadership potential, service to the community, demonstrated talent in their field of study, and participation in extracurricular and university activities. The students were recognised at a special virtual ceremony held recently.

The winners of this prestigious scholarship are Sarah Al Saeid from the College of Arts and Sciences; Ahmed Muhammad Zameer from the College of Engineering; Manaswi Madichetty from the School of Business Administration; and Sarah Al-Dulaimmi from the College of Architecture, Arts and Design.

Speaking about the award, Al Saeid considered the scholarship a milestone in her academic journey at AUS.

The third-year student with a double major in international studies and mass communication said: “Saying that I am honoured, happy and proud to have been recognised as the College of Arts and Sciences recipient of this scholarship is an understatement. This scholarship is an affirmation to myself first and foremost that everything I put in in the last three years at AUS has paid off, and for that I’m extremely thankful. I’m also very humbled that I could give back to my father a fraction of what he has done for me all these years.”

Following completion of her undergraduate degree, Al Saeid is looking forward to pursuing graduate studies with a focus on postcolonialism.

Mechanical engineering major Zameer conveyed that he has aspired to attaining the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship since joining AUS.

“Right from the beginning when I found out about this prestigious scholarship, it had always been one of my goals to receive it and, therefore, it feels amazing to finally be able to achieve that goal today. In addition to providing me with a world-class education, I am extremely grateful to AUS for the broad range of opportunities that it has made available for me, from academic research to community services. The opportunities are endless. These wide-ranging experiences have helped me become a well-rounded individual ready to face any challenge the world throws at me,” he said.

Zameer is looking forward to pursuing graduate studies in mechanical engineering and engaging in research after he completes the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering program.

It was not always a smooth journey for finance major Madichetty, but she has managed to prove that hard work and perseverance are key to success.

“This scholarship has given me a boost to do even more than what I am involved in right now. Winning this is pretty much a dream come true! As much as it is a monetary blessing, it is a validation of the efforts that my family and I have made to here. It has not been a smooth journey, but it sure has been a rewarding one,” she said.

Madichetty said that she is exploring all venues to carve a career path for herself in her specialty. She is also looking forward to pursing her graduate studies after graduation.

Al-Dulaimi echoed the sentiments of Madichetty saying that being awarded the scholarship is living proof that hard work always pays off. “This award means a lot to me and I am grateful to be a recipient of the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship. I am looking forward to applying for graduate studies after graduation and I am considering different areas of study. Thanks to the scholarship, I can start saving up and applying to a variety of other competitive programs,” she said.

Congratulating the winners on this great achievement, Professor Kevin Mitchell, Chancellor of AUS, said: “We are very proud of the students who have been awarded the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship for the academic year 2020-2021.

The selection process is highly competitive as there are many students at AUS who excel academically and fulfil the Scholarship criteria. The recipients should be very proud of this significant accomplishment. Students who earned the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship have already made many contributions to the campus community through their participation in extracurricular and university activities, and AUS will continue to benefit from the work that they do as student leaders.”