Captain Shaikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum, UAE’s first police pilot, praises leadership and family support.
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#UAE #DubaiPolice #Women
Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/38AXybh
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#UAE #DubaiPolice #Women
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NewsTranscript
00:00If we sit there and wait for our dreams to materialize, that day will never come.
00:06Many of us are really great at creating boundaries within our minds,
00:11answering questions in our heads before they're asked out loud. I also had those stories in my mind.
00:17They're called limiting beliefs, and I knew I had to stop them.
00:23My story was that I thought I will never be able to study abroad alone,
00:28and I could not accept that.
00:30So I took the courage and asked the question out loud to my parents, and what I got back was
00:37amazing amount of support and encouragement.
00:41Imagine if I let the story in my head silently dictate the outcome. When I look back and reflect on the journey so far,
00:49even with the support, it was not easy. I did have difficult times, times when I was missing home,
00:57times when I could not see a positive outcome,
01:00self-doubt that had to be overcome.
01:03It was equally a physical and mental challenge, but I always had that feeling of not wanting to be average.
01:11I wanted to prove myself.
01:13The truth is I may have actually had it more difficult than the guys at some point, and that was okay.
01:19I always faced such situations with a positive attitude.
01:23It is no surprise to anyone that throughout this journey,
01:28I have noticed that the number of women in the aviation industry is very low compared to the number of men.
01:34It is also interesting that one of my trainers, a pilot with more than 30 years experience, once told me
01:42that throughout his career, he had trained a total of seven women,
01:47including me, and that all showed competence, commitment, attitude, and skills
01:54superior to the men he trained.
01:56It came along as a genuine reflection, not flattery.
02:00Maybe that's because we always feel we have to work twice as hard to prove our worth.
02:06However, this is slowly changing. We are slowly getting more women to join.
02:12Given my experience and my love for it,
02:14I felt compelled to do something tangible to accelerate the growth rate of women entering the industry.
02:22Last October, I established the Women in Aviation Association,
02:27SHEHANA,
02:29to increase the female ratio and promote awareness.
02:34The aviation industry is a vast and exciting playing field
02:39for many professions, not just for pilots, and through SHEHANA,
02:44we want to show the community the many opportunities in which our young female professionals can flourish in.
02:51Whether a lawyer, a doctor, a pilot, or an engineer,
02:56the aviation industry can foster and nurture women.
03:01SHEHANA is willing to give direction and support to all those women willing to join the aviation industry.
03:09I personally would like to see more young women, more young girls, be made aware
03:16of the opportunities they have going forward.
03:19Our leaders have demonstrated so much faith in us.
03:22Now, it is our turn to make them proud and show them that the UAE women can represent them
03:30locally and internationally.
03:32SHEHANA is where I see my passion and my contribution
03:37tangibly growing.
03:40However, I'm still at the start of my journey, and I feel I have a duty too, towards my country.
03:50And so when the opportunity presented, I set my eyes on a new goal, joining Dubai Police Air Wing.
03:58Thanks to the support of our leaders, and especially His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
04:06I recently graduated.
04:13I recently graduated as first lieutenant pilot of the Dubai Police Air Wing,
04:18becoming the first female pilot in the police in the UAE.
04:24I am proud and extremely grateful to be serving my country, being part of Dubai Police.
04:31This is a very rewarding role, where I get to help the community and a job that I love and I'm so passionate about.
04:38My duties range from patrolling to search and rescue missions.
04:42I can't believe that something that started out as a hobby,
04:46turned my life around in such a meaningful way.
04:49I hope that my journey could serve as inspiration and encouragement to all young females still searching for a path,
04:57and show them that there's still space for women in serving our country.
05:02When was the last time you did something for the first time?
05:07I hope you will always remember that.
05:10I hope you will always want to try new things and explore more,
05:14because this enriches us as women, and as humans, and as members of the civil society.
05:22I am only 23 years old.
05:34And I'm still here.
05:36And I'm still at the start of my journey.
05:38I hope I never lose this thirst for adventure.
05:42Flying has given me the greatest gift of all, and the greatest wisdom,
05:46for being able to trust in myself when I'm up at 39,000 feet above the ground.
05:52There are no limits we can't defy in the pursuit of our dreams,
05:58if we all have what in Arabic we call,
06:02determination and persistence.