On April 8, the Caribbean Students Association at NYU Abu Dhabi was officially founded by Abigail Wilson, Class of 2019, and Gabrielle Branche, Class of 2021. The cultural Student Interest Group was founded with the mission “to introduce the diverse cultures of the Caribbean to NYUAD, creating a space in which members of the Caribbean community and diaspora can gather and share their culture with the wider student body.”

The SIG interest meeting held on the preceding Wednesday was attended by over 20 students. During the meeting, the Treasurer, Rhoshenda Ellis, Class of 2018, thanked the crowd.

“Starting this SIG [has been] a dream of mine since Candidate Weekend, and seeing this finally come to be with so many members is definitely one of my proudest accomplishments,” Ellis said.

CSA will represent the small but growing population of Caribbean students on campus who, until this point, were too few in number to wholly represent themselves. Vice President Gabrielle Branche explained what the SIG plans to bring to the student community.

“The national anthem of Trinidad and Tobago states, Here every creed and race finds an equal place, [and] to me that pretty much sums up the diversity found within the Caribbean. It is a blend of various groups that have contributed to our history including Indigenous, Europeans, Africans, Indians, Chinese, Syrian and Lebanese people. All those different cultures have mixed to create a unique Caribbean culture,” Branche said.

CSA will offer regular events focusing on celebrating and sharing the cultural variety of the Caribbean region with the student body.

On April 17, the Career Development Center hosted a Career in Sustainability Panel during which professionals from different industries shared their experiences. The panel brought up different resources and skills which are necessary to succeed in sustainability-related industries. The panel was moderated by Cassandra Mitchell, Class of 2021, and Norbert Monti, Class of 2018.

The panel consisted of five guests from various organizations. The guests were Reem Korban, Associate Professional at IRENA, Arabella Willing, Head of Conservation & Community Engagement at Park Hyatt, Khulood Hindeyeh, Senior CSR Specialist at Blue, Adam Torrey, Regional Director at The Water Project and Yasmin Barakat, Sustainable Fashion blogger.

“The diversity of experiences the guests brought to the panel made for engaging discussions. Perhaps the advice that stuck with me the most was that, when advocating for sustainable policies, it is pertinent and effective to mention the economic benefits of said policies as well, and not just moral concerns,” said Rafael Lino, Class of 2018.

“It was really cool how each one of the panelists came from a really different background and how they all ended up finding sustainability in their sectors. I think this just comes to show that sustainability is everywhere and you can introduce it everywhere,” added Lubnah Ansari, Class of 2021.

On April 19, the End of Year Gala took place at the St. Regis Hotel in the Corniche area of Abu Dhabi. The Student Government allotted 400 tickets for sale on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the East Campus Dining Hall. Within two days, all tickets were sold out.

The Gala included a dinner and a party DJ-ed by Mateo Cruz, Class of 2020. Buses left campus at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m for transportation to the event. Buses back to the Saadiyat Campus operated at 10:40 p.m., 11 p.m, 11:30 p.m and midnight. A mix of Arabic, African, Latino and Anglophone songs were played which livened up the room.

“It was a reminder of how quickly a year has passed and how important my friends have become to me. It was kind of awkward to see all of us dressed up in our fancy clothes because we know how morbid we become, constantly pressured by school work and life, but, for sure, it made the photos wonderful,” said Mingu Cho, Class of 2021.

“[It was a] nice way to get off campus and meet new people,” commented Sebastiano Pio Matera, Class of 2021.