[et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” background_color=”#5d5b58″ module_id=”welcome”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_slider admin_label=”This is the class of 2015″ show_arrows=”off” show_pagination=”off” auto=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” module_id=”welcome-slide”][et_pb_slide background_image=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/1-ThisClass-full.png” alignment=”center” background_layout=”dark” allow_player_pause=”off” background_color=”#5d5b58″ \/][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” module_id=”who”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text -TRIBUTE VIDEO” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video admin_label=”Video” src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/kGxAeEi-8dc” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2-ByNumbers.jpg” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_slider admin_label=”BY THE NUMBERS” show_arrows=”off” show_pagination=”off” auto=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” module_class=”numbers”][et_pb_slide heading=”BY THE NUMBERS” alignment=”center” background_layout=”light” allow_player_pause=”off” \/][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text- 53 COUNTRIES” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]THEY CAME FROM[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”MAP – IMAGE” src=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/3-map.png” alt=”NYUAD-MAP” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”bottom” sticky=”off” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text-THE CAME FROM” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]53 COUNTRIES[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text-THEY TRAVELED TO” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]THEY TRAVELED TO[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”GLOBE – IMAGE” src=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/4-globe.png” alt=”NYUAD-GLOBE” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”bottom” sticky=”off” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text- 90 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]99 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text-85% SPEAK” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]85% SPEAK[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”PIE – IMAGE” src=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/5-pie-chart.png” alt=”NYUAD-SPEAK” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”bottom” sticky=”off” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text- MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#f4cd30″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” module_id=”did”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – GAINED EXPERIENCE” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_circle_counter admin_label=”Circle Counter – HELD ONE INTERNSHIP” title=”HELD AT LEAST ONE INTERSHIP” number=”78″ percent_sign=”on” background_layout=”light” bar_bg_color=”#57068c” module_class=”internship01″ \/][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”TOTAL INTERNSHIP HELD” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” module_class=”stats”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_number_counter admin_label=”Number Counter – INTERNSHIPS” title=”TOTAL INTERNSHIPS HELD IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS” number=”214″ percent_sign=”off” counter_color=”#57068c” background_layout=”light” module_class=”intership” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_circle_counter admin_label=”Circle Counter – Study Abroad” title=”SPENT A FULL SEMESTER ABROAD” number=”96″ percent_sign=”on” background_layout=”light” bar_bg_color=”#57068c” module_class=”internship01″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Employers List 1 – 17″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” module_class=”employ”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Employers List 17 -34″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” module_class=”employ”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Employers List 35 to 51″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” module_class=”employ”]<\/p>\n
<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/7-ICame.png” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”on” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_slider admin_label=”I CAME TO ABU DHABI” show_arrows=”on” show_pagination=”on” auto=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” module_class=”came”][et_pb_slide alignment=”center” background_layout=”dark” allow_player_pause=”off” heading=”I CAME TO ABU DHABI” \/][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb – Kimberly Rodriguez” url_new_window=”off” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”myicon” use_circle=”on” use_circle_border=”on” circle_border_color=”#7fbec6″ icon_placement=”top” animation=”off” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” title=”I will always have this special story” circle_color=”#ffffff” icon_color=”#008ba9″ \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Kimi bio” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left”]Kimberly Rodriguez, from the Philippines, studied political science with concentrations in economics and history. Her work as President with ADvocacy earned her the NYU President’s Service Award. She has also served on the organizing board of Sila Connections and founded Saariya \u00ad\u2014 the NYUAD yearbook.<\/em>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Kimberly Rodriquez- Story” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left”]<\/p>\n The last four years have been filled with so many unprecedented adventures and surprises that when asked what life is like at NYU Abu Dhabi, I never know quite where to begin.<\/p>\n Before NYUAD, I hadn\u2019t lived anywhere else besides Manila. I admit, it took a long time before I overcame my hesitation to call this place home.<\/p>\n Like many others, I initially had some doubts. I doubted whether I would belong in this community. I doubted whether I would thrive and questioned how I would fit in. Looking back, I realize that I didn\u2019t overcome my doubts through sheer determination but rather allowed myself to experience these feelings fully and, with the support of my friends and mentors, build confidence from them. Volunteering during my time at NYU Abu Dhabi was an incredibly valuable experience. It allowed me to engage with the wider community, take a break from classes, form new relationships, and learn new things. I began volunteering in the first semester of my freshman year at the Ability Center for Special Needs. It was very rewarding because I felt that I was making a difference and contributing my own ideas.<\/p>\n I will always treasure the relationships I formed with students and teachers while volunteering because they inspired me to find more ways to get involved. One of my favorite memories was teaching Goals UAE football workshops to children with autism on the beautiful new playing fields on campus. Sharing knowledge and campus facilities with the community is an important part of volunteer work as an NYUAD student.<\/p>\n Volunteering made me feel more connected to the city. Abu Dhabi can sometimes feel like a temporary place but being able to volunteer and engage with all sorts of people means I am leaving something permanent and positive behind. Because of volunteering, I felt a true sense of belonging in Abu Dhabi.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image – The Streets of Abu Dhabi ” src=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/abu-day-community-shot.jpg” alt=”The Streets of Abu Dhabi ” title_text=”The Streets of Abu Dhabi ” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” animation=”top” sticky=”off” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Gabrielle Bio” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left”]Gabrielle Garcia, from the Philippines, studied psychology. She plans to attend Northwestern University to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.<\/em> The first day I arrived at the Saadiyat Campus, I fell in love with the beautiful views. Often at the end of the day, I would look out from campus and be amazed by the sunset. The sun sinks behind the buildings and lights up the sky like it\u2019s on fire. And when darkness falls, the buildings glitter. Each evening\u2019s sunset seems more beautiful than the last. I wish I could hold on to those quiet moments forever.<\/p>\n Despite my best efforts to slow time down, such glimpses only sharpen my sense of how quickly this NYU Abu Dhabi experience has passed. Like a sunset, our time here as students is sublime but fleeting. I am immensely proud to see my classmates and peers shining brighter than ever before. Their talent and dedication not only to their own dreams, but to our shared one here, blazes across the horizon.<\/p>\nHOW A PLACE BECOMES HOME<\/h2>\n
By Kimberly Rodriguez<\/h4>\n
\nDuring my time at NYUAD, I discovered that home is not necessarily this place but the people I\u2019ve shared the journey with. We are a community that understands each other like no other. I can say, after four years, this is a place I now strongly associate with home.
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\nNo matter where I go from here, or where I find my next home, I will always have this special story to tell. Being part of writing the story of NYUAD in itself has been a privilege. We will always be a little bit jetlagged in a way that only we will truly understand, and I will never forget that.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider – between stories” color=”#7fbec6″ show_divider=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Gabrielle Garcia Story” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” module_class=”story”]<\/p>\nCOMMUNITY CONNECTIONS<\/h2>\n
By Gabrielle Garcia<\/h4>\n
\u201cVolunteering made me feel more connected to the city\u201d<\/h5>\n
\n<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_slider admin_label=”Image of the Hands” show_arrows=”off” show_pagination=”off” auto=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_slide background_image=”https:\/\/sites.nyuad.nyu.edu\/class-of-2015\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8-Hands.png” background_color=”#ffffff” alignment=”bottom” background_layout=”dark” allow_player_pause=”off” \/][\/et_pb_fullwidth_slider][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – Olivia Bergen Story” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” module_class=”story”]<\/p>\nA NEW PERSPECTIVE<\/h2>\n
By Olivia Bergen<\/h4>\n
\u201cWe built a strong community\u201d<\/h5>\n