NYU Abu Dhabi’s alumni and students celebrate World Arabic Language Day

NYU Abu Dhabi’s alumni and students celebrate World Arabic Language Day

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Victoria Anatolyevna Blinova: Originally from Russia, NYUAD alumna Class of 2017 Victoria Blinova majored in Social Research and Public Policy, with a minor in Arabic. She decided to learn Arabic when she moved to Abu Dhabi, during her freshman year. Blinova chose to learn the Shami dialect because she had many friends from that region. Blinova said that Arabic helped her significantly in job applications.

Gabrielle (Gabi) Branche: From Trinidad and Tobago, NYUAD Class of 2021 student Gabrielle (Gabi) Branche is majoring in Interactive Media with a minor in Dance.

As she began studying Arabic during her freshman year she fell in love with the language. Branche says: "It's such a beautiful, poetic language and I feel honoured to be able to speak it, even if just a little bit.“

Emma Chiu: Class of 2020 alumna Emma Chiu majored in philosophy, with a minor in Arabic. She started her Arabic learning journey during her freshman year as she was determined to connect to the Arab culture. Ethnically Taiwanese, but raised in Panama, Chiu says that she was unaware of the richness and diversity of Arabic until she began learning the language.

Emma Chiu

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