AUK hosts book revision by Research Affiliate & Alumna Sadaaqa features James Mathews
KUWAIT CITY, Marcg 21: Sadaaqa continues to document and celebrate India-Kuwait relationship through people to people contact and individual experiences.
In its March edition, Sadaaqa features James Mathews, Managing Director of Safeena Group of Companies.
James is a second generation Indian in Kuwait. His father Mathunny Mathews, popularly known as Toyota Sunny was an inspiration. Toyota Sunny came to Kuwait as a 20-year old and joined the Al Sayer Group. His origins were humble. He worked as a secretary and assistant to the senior Al Sayers. Through hard work, dynamism and honesty, he rose to become the group’s Managing Director.
In 1989, he retired and set up his own company. During the occupation of Kuwait, Toyota Sunny acquired iconic status.
KUWAIT CITY, March 21: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted a book talk by AUK research affiliate and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Juliet Dinkha, and AUK alumna and communications professional, Ms. Aya Abdulhadi. They discussed their newly released book, titled, “Navigating Social Identity: A Young Adult Story of Time.”
The AUK library co-hosted this event with the Office of Research and Grants’ Faculty Speaker Series (FSS). The event provided an opportunity for the campus community to learn more about their collaborative work.
The authors were introduced by Dr. Salime Smadi, associate professor of organizational behavior at the College of Business and Economics, and Ms. Asma Al Kanan, the University librarian at AUK, both of whom noted that the University was proud to host a former professor and a graduate back to campus to share their work.
Dr. Dinkha and Ms. Abdulhadi highlighted how their book explores the numerous aspects of young adult life; from media consumption to the effects of gender segregation in university life, altruism, social media habits, the effects of Western cultural imperialism on their body image, depression and coping skills, and most recently, the effects of having lived during a pandemic. The book is written with a storytelling approach that balances research findings along with the social aspect of identity.
Dr. Dinkha conveyed her delight at being back on campus, “Being back to AUK brought a lot of great memories for me. It was amazing meeting some of my students and colleagues. I missed the environment and the social support I had created for the last 17 years. Most of all, I missed the academic feel I had left behind. I look forward to coming back for more research talk.”
Ms. Abdulhadi expressed a similar viewpoint, “I was honored to be back on campus again, and this time as a guest speaker to talk about our newly published book, and not as an AUK student. It was great to connect again with my professors, mentors and friends, who came alongside my family to attend and support our book talk.”
The event attracted an audience of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and special guests, ending with a Q&A session.
About AUK: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and coeducational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. The language of instruction is English. More information on the American University of Kuwait can be found atwww.auk.edu.kw