Khalifa University students focus on hope

Khalifa University students, looking for a way to give back to the community, have participated in a grassroots program called “Helping Out People Everyday” or HOPE.  

Students Shaikha Al Mehairi, Yousif Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Ansaari, Rashed Al Shaibani, Ismaeel Al Marzouqi, Tarik Al Maskari, Rasha Tabasha, Meriam Larbi, Abdulrahman Al Hadrami, Enas Osman, Sabah Shams, Khaltham Al Romaithi, and Amna Usman, volunteered to teach English to some of Khalifa University’s janitorial staff. They were supervised by teachers Julie Ross, Dr. Katherine L. Hall, and Dr. Dennis Balint. 

The initiative, which started in October, required the student instructors to prepare lessons for their students and teach for one hour each Thursday from 3-4 PM. They covered several areas of introductory English, including how to tell time, name a place, and the proper names for objects and locations. 

The teaching culminated in a student-organized graduation ceremony attended by students, faculty and staff. Shaikha Al Mehairi presented a movie she had made documenting the classes. 

Each of the classes’ teachers presented the graduating janitors with a certificate, a coffee mug with their names engraved on them with the Hope Grassroots logo. 

Khalifa University President Tod Laursen attended the graduation and said, “It’s wonderful to see our students giving back to the Khalifa University community, and I have no doubt that they learned a lot from this experience. Our students are exceptional in many ways, and their commitment to helping others is just one of those ways.”