AUS student becomes One Young World Ambassador

American University of Sharjah (AUS) student Yasmine Al-Haffar has joined a select global network of more than 12,000 young leaders as a One Young World Ambassador, attending the One Young World Summit held recently in Munich, Germany.

The annual summit convened the brightest young talent from across the globe, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from more than 190 countries were counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, business leader Paul Polman and activist Bob Geldof, among many other global figures.

“Becoming a One Young World Ambassador means becoming a member of one of the biggest networks of young professionals from all around the globe. Through this network, we are always alerted to ongoing international research and projects in which we can participate. We are also provided with a space in which we can come up with our own original ideas and initiatives and seek support from fellow One Young World ambassadors. By leveraging all the connections I made in the summit, I will be working on two Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered projects. One of these projects is for early parasitic, ocular and respiratory disease detection (that generates results at a faster rate, is more scalable to rural and non-rural areas, and is more cost-effective). The other project relates to the verification of COVID-19 status in minutes, making healthcare more affordable and accessible to anyone anywhere in the world,” said Al-Haffar, a finance major with a minor in management information systems at AUS.

As a recipient of AUS’ Chalhoub Group scholarship, Al-Haffar took part in a competition organized by Chalhoub Group for its employees and scholars and won to become a delegate to this year’s One Young World Summit. In preparation for the summit, she attended the One Young World Academy’s   series of online lectures delivered by expert speakers ranging from heads of state to CEOs of global organizations. Highlighting challenge-based learning, each lecture focused on a global challenge, from escalating threats in cybersecurity to the challenge of creating inclusive economic growth. 

She said, “I feel so grateful to have become a One Young World Ambassador and to have joined this community of humane, like-minded, and inspiring young leaders. In the words of Emma Watson, who participated in past One Young World Summits, I can say: I finally found my tribe.”

During the conference, Al-Haffar had the opportunity to attend speeches, panels, roundtables, networking events, workshops and action sessions. Issues discussed related to food insecurity and racial injustice, climate crisis, social business and sustainability, education and preparing for the fourth industrial revolution, sustainability and innovation, AI, Blockchain, robotics and machine learning, non-governmental organizations and sustainable development goals, and genocide and forced displacement.

Speakers included world-renowned figures such as Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank; Punit Rengen, CEO of Deloitte Global; Angela Hwang, Group President at Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group; Lewis Hamilton, Formula One Champion and Founder at the Hamilton Commission; Terry Crews, actor and activist; Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens; and many others.  

“This opportunity would not have been possible had it not for the collaboration between AUS and the Chalhoub group. AUS provided me with the foundation to seek opportunities, ask questions and continue learning, be confident about who I am and what I do, and have the necessary skills to do the work right, and be trustworthy and reliable. The support and commitment of faculty members has also been amazing and has helped me a lot throughout my studies and internship,” added Al-Haffar.

Speaking about the achievement of Al-Haffar, Dr. Narjess Boubakri, Dean of the AUS School of Business Administration (SBA), said: "Preparing our students to be well-rounded global citizens and responsible professionals is at the core of our mission at SBA. This mission is supported by our industry partners, in this case Chalhoub Group. Together we work to help broaden the horizons of our students. We are so proud of Yasmine's participation in the One Young World Summit. It is an excellent start for her career and sets a wonderful precedent for her peers."

For more information on the programs offered at the AUS School of Business Administration, please visit, www.aus.edu/sba/programs.