Shaima Al Qassab is a senior chemical engineering student at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Back in 2013, Shaima joined UAEU as a medical student having felt influenced in her choice by her surroundings such as her culture, parents and having graduated with a very high GPA from high school which brought with it high expectations. After spending a week as a medical student, Shaima decided that it wasn’t for her and joined the College of Engineering again because of the same reasons and influences and thinking it was the right path.

During her second and third year in engineering collage, she discovered again that engineering is not really for her so she started to seek her true purpose and passion and began her journey as a pathfinder. Shaima started to explore entrepreneur in 2016 where she was involved in building a startup called Algalife which aims to develop an eco-friendly ink made from Algae. This journey has helped her discover more about herself and move out of her comfort zone fighting against everyday norms as a result of the coaching and mentorship she received during her enrollment in the Prototype-to-Market Program hosted by the UAEU Science and Innovation Park.

Today Shaima leads a non-profit organization called AIESEC that creates leadership experiences for every young person to help them move out of their comfort zone and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. She has also been able to travel the world by herself and discover new cultures. Shaima has been to 10 countries such as Kenya, China, Indonesia, Tunisia, etc. As part of her journey, she attended art classes which helped her discover her talent and love for art.

Shaima has also participated in many public speaking events and experienced stage fright on several occasions. She embraced the challenge and found ways to overcome it which has resulted in her being a very inspiring speaker & leader today.

Shaima has just graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering and for the future Shaima aims to bring innovation to the sustainability sector in the United Arab Emirates as she truly believes that her generation and the next generation deserves a healthy environment.