“Al-Yazia” is the first on the applied track: Mohammed bin Rashid’s saying, “We do not settle for anything other than first place,” motivated me to excel.

The Emirati student, Al-Yazia Hamdan Rashid Al-Shamsi, who won first place in the general track of Applied Technology Schools – Girls, confirmed that her mother was the one who informed her of her excellence, after she learned that her name was included in the top secondary schools for the year 2024 from a tweet by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him,” explaining that she felt an overwhelming happiness that could not be described, especially since she expected to excel but did not expect to enter the list of the top students in the country.

Al Yazia confirmed to “Emarat Al Youm” that she is very happy with the success and excellence she achieved in her secondary stage, explaining that this success is a step towards the future, God willing, as she looks forward to continuing her studies and serving her country in any field she specializes in during the next stage, noting that the most prominent factors for achieving success and excellence were derived from the motivational and inspiring words of the wise leadership of the UAE, especially since the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him,” “We are a people who are not satisfied with anything less than first place,” were in her mind throughout her academic career, and constituted a great motivation and incentive for her to insist on excellence and always be the first place holder.

She indicated that in completing her graduate studies, she preferred to complete her graduate studies between three fields: the first is the Department of Aerospace Engineering with its multiple specializations, the second is information technology, and the last specialization is mechanical engineering, pointing out that she prefers to study at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, or the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, after announcing its names among the first, received a call from Khalifa University inviting it to register and study there.

She stressed that the role of the family and the school is an essential factor in achieving success and excellence in terms of providing the appropriate climate for study and excellence. She expressed her happiness because she achieved her dream and also proved that she is a role model for her younger siblings, as she is the eldest sister of four boys and a girl.

Al-Yazia stressed the importance of setting a daily study plan and adhering to specific hours for studying the subjects, explaining that God’s grace, organizing time, and being keen to review lessons on a regular basis since the beginning of the school year, as well as the family’s unlimited focus and support and its keenness to provide the appropriate atmosphere for studying, in addition to the important role of the school, are behind excellence.

She pointed out that she was organizing her time to study and live her life normally without pressure or anxiety, and the only stage during which she felt anxious and challenged was the time of submitting her graduation project, where she invented a device to help people with visual disabilities move around, and it received the admiration and praise of the evaluation committee and arbitrators.