AUS student named as Student Energy Summit Delegate

Maitri Dharmendra Lalai, a student in the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies program at American University of Sharjah (AUS), has been named as a delegate for the Student Energy Summit, the world’s largest youth-led energy summit.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) will host the summit this year, which will run just prior to COP28. Under the theme Reimagining the Future, hundreds of students will gather at the summit from November 28 to December 1. The aim of the summit is to create a sustainable outlook for the energy transition by connecting the youth of today to leaders of the energy sector to educate the leaders of tomorrow. Hundreds of young leaders from all over the world will gather at the summit to cultivate innovative ideas, collaborate, and reimagine the future of the energy sector and pathways to sustainability. It is hoped that the summit will empower a new generation of energy sector leaders and highlight the success story and the vision of the UAE’s energy transition.

Maitri said of her selection, “I find that there are a number of sustainability-focused opportunities arising around me as a student of AUS, particularly with COP28 set to take place in Dubai later this year. As a keen proponent of sustainability and having taken numerous efforts to build my portfolio in the domain, I believe the summit will facilitate my participation in, and further strengthen my knowledge of, the energy sector in our evolving world.”

“As a delegate, I am expected to actively contribute to the discourse around energy as a resource and as an opportunity for development and innovation. Since I am a student, I believe that my role will also be to build on my knowledge of the energy sector and draw from my experiences in sustainable climate action. The summit further grants access to many global energy leaders under one roof, in the form of meet-and-greets, upskilling workshops, and panel discussions.”

AUS is widely recognized as one of the region’s leading universities when it comes to sustainability, with students engaged in the importance of sustainability both inside and outside the classroom. 

“I extend my immense gratitude to my professors, AUS leadership and the AUS Office of Sustainability for facilitating student participation in sustainability-related events and forums. I am currently representing AUS as a Future Sustainability Leader in the Youth4Sustainability (Y4S) program, a climate-action themed initiative by Masdar, Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, events like the AUS Farmers' Market and the AUS-wide drive to inculcate sustainability among students shows commitment to the cause. My commitment to sustainability has been reinforced by AUS’ own mission, and I strive to uphold our shared values,” Maitri said.