American University of Sharjah (AUS) is commemorating the UAE's 40th Anniversary Celebration with a two-day event that started yesterday, November 29, at the university's Main Plaza.

The event featured a heritage village, a photo gallery, poetry, a national parade and a cultural band, all aimed to highlight the UAE's rich culture. 

Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, congratulated the leaders and the people of UAE on the occasion. She said, "This year's UAE National Day celebration at AUS is distinctive, as many students have become increasingly supportive of the celebrations.  Students from different nationalities have jointly organized celebratory events with their fellow Emirati students to mark this special national occasion."

Ali Al Sharqi, the president of the Emirati Club said, "We are very proud to celebrate our 40th National Day, and we are very thankful that many students from different nationalities, faculty and staff are celebrating our country's 40th anniversary with us. I hope this event will help all of us to celebrate our country and to learn and appreciate the Emirati culture and heritage."

Prior to this main event, two preliminary events were held, namely the Spirit of the UAE and Charity Mini-Marathon Festival.

The Spirit of the UAE event was held November 23. In that inaugural event, students from different nationalities represented at AUS wore red, green, white and black shirts and arranged themselves to form the number 40 on the university's Main Plaza.

That was followed by the Charity Mini-Marathon Festival on November 26, which attracted more than 1,000 students from schools and universities across the UAE, people with special needs, representatives from private and governmental organizations, and members of the AUS community. Participants ran three different distances between the Sharjah University City gate and the main AUS roundabout.

The UAE National Day is celebrated yearly at AUS. This year's event was also attended by AUS Chancellor Peter Heath; Salem Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs; as well as faculty; staff; students and members of the public.

"I thank our students for sharing the spirit of patriotism with the UAE people and send congratulations to the leaders and the people of UAE on this great occasion," Dr. Al Shehhi said.

The celebrations, which will end later today, November 30, were organized by the Office of Student Affairs' Student Activities Office in collaboration with the Emirati Cultural Club.