Fulbright on The Horizon- A Chance to Study Women's Leadership in UAE

As of a week ago... I officially was granted a research and study Fulbright grant. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it's a grant given by the US State Department and international nations to fund students (or scholars at the masters and PhD level) to travel abroad. The opportunity is fairly selective, and I feel very blessed to win this study and research grant.

My project:  Studying women's leadership in Emirati urban planning, community development and sustainability. This will entail studying various urban planning and leadership classes at United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi. That's in the United Arab Emirates.

During my studies I will research women who aspire to leadership, often through the lens of Islam, culture and family values.

Women in the UAE are aspiring to a plethora of roles in the changing world. The minister of import, export and finance is a woman named HH Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, and a new female judge was appointed in Dubai, while scores of women lawyers are graduating from Islamic Law School. 

I am looking forward to studying in the UAE, and getting to know a plethora of women leaders. Since my major is Community Development and Communication, this will include women in many different fields.

Target Population: Emirati Women in leadership roles from non-profit organizations, to government, law, healthcare, journalism, business, and urban planning because volunteerism, business, and the built environment also shape societies. An estimated 49,000 Emirati women are employed in fields from science and technology to humanitarian aid and politics; the goal is to find leaders among women and interview them for their inspirations, what empowers them, and any particular barriers they face.


Grant Duration:  10 months to attend 2 semesters and perform a case study

Personal Goals:

• Write about Muslim women and how they negotiate their roles as leaders, particularly our Emirati sisters who are excelling in many fields. An ethnography based on research respecting privacy of women leaders there, but presenting the culture and leadership qualities driving Emirati women to leadership.
•  I hope to share some of my experiences as well to increase cultural appreciation. There are a number of misunderstandings about what Arab, or Muslim women aspire to, and conversely about the state of being Muslim in America. I've been a privileged student, to advocate for policy change and addressing the needs of Muslim students in local Oregon government, an at my university, PSU. 
• I also hope to improve immensely in the Arabic language, since I've studied Arabic for 4 years at PSU I'm ready to move on and study abroad.
• In order to stay in media writing, I intend on finding a monthly way to contribute to written, and published news or preferably an English language magazine in the region.
• Complete a case study about women's leadership in UAE

Why UAE? In terms of community development, the UAE is a highly industrialized nation which keeps culture and innovation together as they experience growth in economy, urban growth, and an education boom. Additionally, the nation of the UAE supports the advancement of women, and explicitly funds consortiums for women's training and capacity building. I also visited UAE in 2008, check out some blogs from my last visit... and more info about Abu Dhabi...

The following quote is from HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the founder of Abu Dhabi General Women's Union. "Access to Education and Employment are the most important achievements of UAE women."