####UAE National Day

On Nov. 27, NYU Abu Dhabi celebrated the 45th anniversary of the UAE, which was on Dec. 2. The main celebration took place in the Central Plaza. The event featured a diverse range of activities, food stalls and cultural performances to celebrate Emirati culture. The event was widely attended, with many visitors from outside of the NYUAD community taking part in the festivities. Camels were a new addition to NYUAD’s National Day celebration.

####Hack The Meal Plan

Last week, the Hack the Meal Plan event invited members of the community to join and rethink the meal plan collaboratively. On Nov. 28, the proposals that were agreed upon were formally presented to NYUAD Finance, NYUAD Campus Operations and Tamkeen.

####Failures Anonymous

On Nov. 28, the student group REACH organized the event Failures Anonymous. The aim was to open up and share stories about personal failures, in order to demystify failure and show that it is often an essential part of progress. More than 15 people opened up with their stories. Freshman Simran Motiani spoke about her experience.

“We were able to talk about our failures that extended beyond the classroom, on social media or in our relationships, friendships and family life. It was refreshing to not only see everyone take a break from the constant pressure to thrive at NYU, but to see how well the failure stories of a stranger resonated with you,” said Motiani. “By the end of the session, I accepted that failure in life is normal and perfectly okay, something that I haven’t been able to say to myself since coming to NYUAD three months ago.”

####NYUAD Rhodes Scholars

Two NYUAD seniors were awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. Dubai Abulhoul, from the UAE, is majoring in Political Science and is a member of the Emirates Youth Council; she wrote the best-selling novel Galagolia: The Hidden Divination in 2012. Guillaume Sylvain, from Canada, is majoring in Arab Crossroads with minors in Arabic and Political Science. He is the chairperson for the Student Interest Group ADvocacy and has also worked with Refugee Rescue UK in Lesbos Island, Greece.