ABU DHABI // Twenty Emirati students have been selected to complete an intensive programme on religion, government and US politics at New York University.
The students from various UAE universities will spend a year at the New York University (NYU) campus in Abu Dhabi and in the US to strengthen leadership and critical thinking skills.
All 20 were awarded places by the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed scholarship programme.
Khawla Alatiyat, a law student at United Arab Emirates University, is one of the applicants chosen out of a group of 60.
"The reason I wanted this is because the programme is one of a kind and new to the UAE," she said. "What's interesting is that they will be putting students from different majors in the same class, so everyone will bring different points of discussion to the table."
As part of the programme, students will take classes led by the NYU president, John Sexton, who will explore the relationship between religion and government.
"Students selected are not only accomplished academically, but they are also motivated, energetic, forward-thinking and passionate," said Diane C Yu, the chief of staff at NYU and executive director of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed scholarship programme.
