Fifteen students from the Student Leadership Program at American University of Sharjah (AUS) visited the US embassy in Abu Dhabi and attended an interactive "Coffee with a Diplomat" morning session, focusing on the US presidential elections.

Students met with officials and learned about how the election process works. The educational session covered a wide variety of historical information about the US, its electoral system, and how votes are cast per state. Students enjoyed meeting with diplomats on a one-to-one basis, and were able to ask questions about their interests and tour the embassy. Discussion also evolved around the effects of social media networks in bringing up to date coverage of the presidential elections and how the campaigns used social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook extensively to publicize and encourage people to vote.

"It was such a great experience and opportunity, one that hopefully will be repeated in the future. I was much honored to represent American University of Sharjah as I am only a freshman, and it was very rewarding and humbling," said Hebah Al Blooshi, a business management major.

"Visiting the Embassy of United States of America was a wonderful experience for the students of AUS. They were very welcoming and gave us a tour around their eco-friendly building. It was an opportunity for me to learn about the elections and how they are carried out in the States. I would definitely love to visit them again," said MIS major, Rihab Badshah.

"Students learned valuable information during their visit and were pleased they got an opportunity to tour the embassy. We thank the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi for hosting our students and look forward to future collaboration with them," said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.