My name is Noora Dawood. I was born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Currently, I am pursing my Bachelors in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Central Florida. My goal after I graduate is to purse Graduate studies and eventually go into research within the biomechanical field. Outside of my academics, I like to spend my time outdoors hiking, biking, swimming, or kayaking. My combined interest in sports and science and my skills in Mathematics is what motivate me to become an engineer and eventually apply that knowledge in the study of muscle and bone movements (biomechanics).

Studying at the University of Central Florida (UCF) has exposed me to students and faculty from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. As a result, I have been fortunate enough to educate myself on many foreign cultures and become more of a global thinker. Additionally, this exposure has helped me improve my communication and interactional skills with other individuals. Studying at UCF has pushed me to venture outside of my comfort zone and has forced me to realize the importance of time management. I have learned the importance of getting involved on campus and have engaged in additional activities while still learning to maintain my academics. Currently, I am working as a Math tutor for Global UCF; this position allows me to interact with many students of various degree backgrounds and academic levels. At the same time, I gain the benefit of helping students to overcome their challenges in Math. I hope to take advantage of my experiences at UCF to help me become a better engineer and researcher within my community.

I decided to become a STEM ambassador because I believe that by engaging in this kind of volunteering work, I can help attract more students into the STEM. By instilling the confidence and passion while they are still young, we will be laying a strong foundation for them that they will need later. I would like to share my passion and inspire other students, especially young girls, to pursue a career in the STEM field and show them that this field can be suitable for them and their skills. Many students are unaware of how rewarding and exciting it is to be in this field because they are blinded by the challenges and discouraging statistics; they see this field as mostly male dominated and one that requires a lot of hard work. I would like to show students a fresh and authentic perspective of what it means to study and eventually work in this field.