The end of oil inspires bright young Emirati engineer to think outside the box
▶ If you are doing something you love then you will do it with passion, Aysha Al Remeithi tells Caline Malek
Aysha Al Remeithi is exactly the kind of young person every country needs.
Ms Al Remeithi, 22, is starting out as an engineer specialising in sustainable and renewable energy, a fast-growing industry thriving on investment and the decline of oil.
Sacrifice and hard work were instrumental in establishing a bright future for the Dubaiborn Emirati.
Ms Al Remeithi’s mother invested a lot of time and effort in her only child’s education, “and I thank her a lot for that”.
“She made me participate in many competitions and that was the peak of when I shaped my personality,” she said. “It started to spark something and I started seeing a difference.”
Ms Al Remeithi’s first year of study at the University of Sharjah was tough, but she eventually fell in love with “all things sustainable” and graduated with a grade point average of 3.86 with honours.
“When I was looking for a major to study in high school, I was looking for something new and interesting,” she said. “I didn’t want to go with the norm. I came across sustainable and renewable energy and I kept reading about it online. I saw it was the vision for the future for many countries around the world.
“One day, fossil fuels and natural gas will run out, so it had a lot of room for creativity and innovation. The possibilities are huge. It’s the next big thing, along with smart cities, which I am considering taking a master’s in.”
Ms Al Remeithi has won several awards, including the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance, and the Sharjah Award for Academic Excellence.
Her hard work did not end in the classroom. She volunteered in leadership and renewable energy programmes, starting with summer internships.
In 2015, Ms Al Remeithi worked at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, then went to the Al Maktoum College for Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland.
“We focused on leadership skills,” she said.
“I also participated in a social enterprise training bootcamp organised by Kafa’at, the Emirates Foundation, last year and became a member of Masdar’s Young Future Energy Leaders programme, where I won a case study and earned a trip to the world’s biggest chemical company in Germany.”
Ten out of 75 candidates were chosen to visit the BASF plant, where Ms Al Remeithi learned about the most sustainable energy practices.
“I never hesitated in taking any opportunity,” she said. “This happened at a time when I decided to invest in myself.
“My ultimate goal is to serve my country and even if I don’t have much of a social life, it’s worth it if you invest in yourself and seek whatever opportunity you see in front of you.”
She then organised a “green” trip with a few friends to Iceland, where she learned about renewable energy, including geothermal and hydro-power.
“Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi [and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces] mentioned that the last barrel of oil will be produced in 2050, so we need other resources and other sources of income,” Ms Al Remeithi said.
“This is the next step forward. We’re already implementing it in many government entities such as Dewa, for which I am part of the sustainability team, and civil projects and engineering.
“And we’re working on green buildings, which also pushed me to certify myself as a LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Green Associate from the US.”
She took part in the Mohammed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations last year, where she won first place in the Minds on a Mission workshop.
She also volunteered with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment and Suqia UAE in Egypt.
There, she helped install water and filtration systems in rural areas, and took part in social development projects.
Ms Al Remeithi also became part of the Dubai Youth Council.
“The youth of today will try to start solving issues of the future so the youth of tomorrow will be ready to face them and it won’t be an absolute shock to them,” she said.
“This helps in thinking outside of the box. But it all still sometimes feels surreal. I never thought I’d achieve all this,” Ms Al Remeithi said.
“I always had a vision to build myself and I changed a lot in the process. My mind is growing every day and I’m seeing things for the first time, and I’m loving it.
“But never hesitate. If you’re doing something you love you will do it with passion. You will be happy and able to give much more. I’m hoping to give back in the future for all the opportunities I’ve been given.”