Portfolio

Duke Of Edinburgh - Bronze Award

In September 2021, I started the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, which consists of 4 parts. A 2-day hike completing 35km, a skill, a physical recreation and a service. As part of my skill, I sewed a jumpsuit for my mother. For the physical reaction part, I played tennis for 1 hour each week, working on various skills, techniques and drills. I joined the Red Cross Service in my school and completed a First aid course for the service part of the award.

On the 14th of May, I and 4 other students completed the practice hike. It was a real eye-opening experience where through teamwork, support and a lot of planning we had a great time. Our group was really glad that we got this trail journey as we made a few mistakes that we got to learn from and avoid in the qualifying journey. Then, on the 2nd of July, we completed the qualifying hike. As we hiked 35 kilometres (15 on the way there, 20 on the way back) and learned from our mistakes from the practice journey we successfully, kept on track (did not get lost), stayed within the time frame and were on time to the meeting points. We independently set up camp, built up tents, cooked the food and washed up.

This hiking experience was a really enjoyable and reflective time for me. When you are always caught up with the hustle and bustle of a busy school life, having 2 days where you can reconnect with nature and learn real-life skills is great.

Model United Nations - GeMUN 2023

In Feburary of 2023, I represented my school at the Genoa Model UNited Nations. When I arrived I was imediantly mesmerised by the architecture of Genoa.

The conference was held at the Palazzo Ducale, and I felt incredibly lucky to have the conferences held in this marvellous building. When I checked in, I was given my badge and shown to my committee.

I represented the UAE in the SOCHUM, Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee with another student representing Cyprus.

This year there was a good selection of topics for each committee, for example, a reoccurring topic discussed in SOCHUM (social, cultural and Humanitarian Committee) was tackling disease control in humanitarian emergencies and conflict areas and addressing the extreme climate vulnerability of communities below the poverty threshold.

This experience was not just for me but for all the students that were there thrilling and and at teh same time informative as we learned what it is like being at a conference with various students from around the globe discussing real-world issues.

There were also many different schools at this conference from Israel, Turkey, Denmark, Saudi Arabia and Italy.