Spring 2020 Memories

It is perhaps an understatement to say this semester isn't turning out as planned. This is especially true for our incoming students, many of whom are flying back home this week. However, all is not lost. We'd like to look back on some of the precious moments and memories our students made over the past several weeks to remember the great times we had and the beautiful friendships we made.

Sharing a meal

This photo is from one of our first trips of the semester to Dubai, at the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding. There's probably nothing better than an Emirati-style meal to get people to bond and talk.

Secret Cupid

Casey was unamused by her present from our office's Valentine's Day gift exchange. Probably thinking about carrying it to the dorms.

Window shopping at the Old Souq

This was taken right before a seller badgered them into buying a 500 Dhs. antique dish set. (Just kidding.)

Sun's out, shades out

There was a bit of glare, but our boat ride across the Dubai Creek was still pretty great.

Birthday cupcakes

These are a staple of IXO student birthdays. Even after the campus was closed, we made sure to get them when it was someone's special day.

Stay hydrated

On our trip to Dubai, some took the heat better than others. (Hot weather and the sun seem to be recurring themes...)

Tara's tree branch disguise

Don't you just love candid shots?

Off to the races

Seif and Kim looked infuriatingly cool at the Dubai Kartdrome.

A place in the sun

Just one more, because this photo from our Fujairah outing is strangely artistic.

Lunch hour, best hour

After walking and exploring for hours on a trip, it was always nice to sit down for a meal with our students and chat - especially if they ordered food from the region and we could watch their reactions to it.

Repping IXO

A golden shot from the desert in Fujairah.

At the end of the day

Many a comfy evening was spent in the IXO lounge, where our students would get together after classes to have a snack and see familiar faces.

IXO relations are for life, and all our incoming students are forever part of our family. If you ever find yourself in the area, drop by the corner office in the Main Building with all the flags and the best coffee!


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Sawi's Superb Spanish Internship

Ahmed "Sawi" Eladl in Spain

We often share stories about study abroad on this blog, but there's another type of international experience that is equally valuable and exciting, if in a different way: international internships! Ahmed "Sawi" Eladl, an AUS chemical engineering alum and our former Peer Advisor, is one student who took advantage of this opportunity. He was a Global Intern at a startup at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, in 2018, and the experience honed his professional and personal skills and helped him learn a new language.

At the startup, Sawi assisted in trying to develop an innovative, sustainable concrete tile that can be heated with microwaves. "This is intended to replace the current heating system of using electric heaters in Spain's households and reduce CO2 emissions by 70%," he said.

Sawi's internship abroad allowed him to make connections and do work relevant to his major. "Being exposed to the startup scene in Valencia introduced me to pure multidisciplinary engineering for the first time, pushed me to think critically and outside the box, and helped me expand my professional network. I also developed my fabrication and product development skills as I was mainly involved in the development and testing phase of the tiles."

"Additionally, my interpersonal and communication skills were sharpened through working abroad in a multicultural team for almost two months," he said. "I also got to take Spanish classes and fell in love with the language."

The cherry on top was the place in which he got to do the internship. "Spain was an amazing country to live in, with beautiful beaches, great music, and bubbly people who appreciate life and live it to the fullest. I honestly think of it as the perfect retirement destination. I am definitely going back someday as the country has so much to offer."

Sawi had numerous international experiences prior to this. His study abroad at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA, in 2017, was especially important in preparing him for this internship abroad: "That was the first step I took outside my comfort zone. Before studying abroad, I could never have imagined taking such a step of interning abroad without the safety net of a university community of students. My study abroad is also what developed the travel bug that pushed me to look for an internship abroad in the first place."

If you are an AUS student interested in doing an internship abroad, check out our website to see some options and for more information.

Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist