Emirati women are at the forefront of the UAE’s development and nation-building. Today we celebrate “Emirati Women’s Day: An Inspiration for the next 50 years.” Emirati women inspire the Arab world by being leaders of change. Emirati women once again proved that women could do it all, from taking a ministerial position to leading space programs and beyond.
JoiGifts is a company with diversity built in its DNA and female leadership in its heart as a UAE-born business. In this blog post, we wanted to give a shoutout to women who inspire us.
Huda Al Matroushi:
The 36-year-old fearless lady has made history in the United Arab Emirates by becoming Sharjah’s first female car mechanic to open her car garage. Entering an industry historically dominated by males requires a lot of courage. Huda took the challenge fearlessly and mastered the art of mechanical engineering, and opened up her garage.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, celebrated Huda’s success by a phone call. The crown prince first jokingly told her that he wanted her to fix his car and then added that he’s so proud of her and happy with the step she took in this career.
Huda had the idea of starting a business in 2006. She wanted to educate women about some simple things regarding the vehicle’s needs. Although it’s a tough job with harsh competitors, Huda’s passion for cars is strong enough to carry on and make everyone proud.
Nora Al Matrooshi:
UAE took a great leap forward by introducing its space program, sending astronauts to International Space Station, and reaching Mars. The great vision is taking UAE towards conquering space. And yes, women are not left behind in this journey either. In April 2021, UAE selected its first female astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi. Noora successfully combines academic excellence and professional experience as a successful astronaut candidate. Nora studied in 2014 at the Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK) in Finland and Hanyang University in Seoul. Since 2016 Nora works at the UAE’s National Petroleum Construction Company as a piping engineer.
UAE’s first female astronaut, Nora, is trained with the NASA Astronaut Group 23 as an international mission specialist.
Najla Al-Midfa:
Some people were born to be mentors, leaders, and guides. Najla is one of them. The General Manager of Sheraa – Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center – a government entity. Sheraa aims to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and provide them with a launchpad for success.
Najla Al Midfa also founded a Khayarat platform to serve the development of next-generation Emirati professionals. Khayarat platform enables young Emiratis to make informed career choices.
Najla inspires us with her solid academic background as she holds an MBA from Stanford University. By being a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Leadership Initiative and a member of its Global Leadership Network, Najla inspires Emirati women and their aspiration for academic success.
Mariam Al Mansouri:
Guarding the borders of the nation and serving the stability is everyone’s sacred job. Mariam aspired to become a pilot since high school but had to wait until women were permitted. In the meantime, she earned her degree and worked for the army general staff in other capacities. Never giving up on her dreams, Mariam Al Mansouri managed to take one of the most challenging jobs in the world, flying the fighter jet. Mariam was one of the first women to join the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) academy, graduating in 2007. She flies an F-16 Fighting Falcon, which is the most outstanding and famous airplane. Mariam’s story gets fascinating here as she successfully executes her military duties. Mariam participated in airstrikes against terrorist terroristic groups over Syria. Mariam Al Mansouri received the Mohammed bin Rashid Pride of the Emirates medal for excellence in her field, an official declaration that she makes her homeland proud of her.
Amna Al Qubaisi:
Another woman with endless love for cars is Amna Al Qubaisi, the first Emirati female racing driver. Amna began her karting career in 2014 at the age of fourteen. She was the first female Arab to participate in the Rotax Max Challenge (RMC) World Finals. Two years later, she began competing internationally, claiming top 10 finishes. In 2017, she was the first Arab woman to win the UAE RMC Championship. At 28, Amna becomes the first Middle Eastern woman to take part in a motorsport test program for Formula E on the 16th of December 2018.
Zahra Lari:
Does it ever snow in UAE? The nation under the sun has very chilled winters. Yet, UAE is proud of its winter sports athlete Zahra Lari, the first Emirati, and Muslim ice skater. She was inspired to try figure skating at the age of 11, after watching the Disney film Ice Princess, and began skating lessons at the age of 13. Shortly after, Zahra won five Emirati national championships between 2016 and 2018. Being a practicing Muslim, She is also the first figure skater to compete in a hijab and was included in a Nike ad featuring Muslim women athletes in 2017.
Zahra serves as a great example to all women by making it almost impossible to happen. We all are hoping to see Zahra in Olympics.
Emirati women’s day in 2021 will celebrate with the motto of “A woman with ambition and radiance for her fifties,” which gives women of all shapes and ages appreciation and respect.
Joi wishes a happy Emirati women’s day to all women in UAE.
