Four students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) claimed victory over eight other competing universities in the debut of United Arab Emirates University's (UAEU) Kas Al Reyadah Universities Cultural Challenge. Members of the AUS team were Aisha AlMidfaa, Alyaa AlMansoori, Marwa Khost Jarkas and Nadia Al Safi.

The AUS team won against Ajman University in the qualifying round and made it to the final round. AUS was declared the winner after winning against UAEU and Dubai Islamic College in the final round.

Kas Al Reyadah Universities Cultural Challenge 2013 is organized by UAEU with the aim of promoting research and encouraging female students to acquire and strengthen their national identity and cultural heritage. The question-and-answer competition examined the participants' knowledge in various fields including science and technology, history and culture, general information and many others.

Participating universities were UAEU; AUS; University of Sharjah; Dubai Islamic College; Ajman University of Science and Technology; Abu Dhabi University; Higher Colleges of Technology, Al Ain; Al Hosn University, Abu Dhabi; and Al Khawarizmi International College.

"It was an honor for me and the rest of the team to represent AUS and win the first place in this competition. I encourage my fellow female students to participate in the next season of this event to continue our achievement and prove the capabilities and competence of female AUS students," said Aisha AlMidfaa, a junior student majoring in international studies.

"We are so proud of our students for this great accomplishment. These four students are very talented and are active in our extracurricular programs. They are good role models for their ability to utilize both their academic knowledge and their out-of-classroom learning experiences to achieve their objectives in a unique competition such as this one. I congratulate the winners for their efforts in representing AUS in this event," said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

The AUS students were awarded AED 30,000 in cash, a trophy and certificates. The students' participation in the event was organized by the Office of Student Affairs' Student Development and Organizations Department.