Over 30 American University of Sharjah (AUS) students and alumni and two IELTS (International English Language Testing System) student ambassadors recognized by the British Council, were honored during the fifth Achievement Academy Bridge Program (AABP) Spring 2017 award ceremony held May 9, on campus.

The ceremony recognized those who have made significant progress in their courses and increased their language proficiency to a level suitable for study in university-level courses taught in English. The ceremony also recognized students who had showed improvement in personal, academic and study skills.

Ali Shuhaimy, AUS Executive Director of Enrollment Management, welcomed the honorees and said, "I'm happy to be standing in front of the achievement academy students at the end of each semester to congratulate them. It is a pleasure to have a dedicated group of students who are interested in pursuing their studies at AUS. Your dedication towards your education is key and we hope that we helped you in this regard within your enrollment in the academy."

Laurial Mehdi, a Senior Instructor of AABP and one of the members of the organizing committee of the award ceremony said, "Some of you have worked so hard to reach your goals and some are on your way to your goals. But you have accomplished a lot this semester which is why we are here, to celebrate your outstanding success."

Jessica March, Acting Director of Achievement Academy, also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the outstanding achievements by AABP. "This is a great day for me every semester when we have this ceremony because we get the chance to thank you for all of the hard work that you put in all this semester. I know a lot of you at the beginning of the semester had many questions, a lot of anxiety and hopefully you have reached the end and achieved your goals," she said.

Starting Fall 2017, AABP students will be able to take math and physics placement tests before the semester starts. Achieving the required scores allows students to register for the 100-level mathematics and physics credit courses while registered as a student in the AABP.

The AABP improves student readiness for enrollment into their majors and for the rigors of an academic program of study in higher education. In addition to helping students improve their English language skills, the program also helps students prepare for university math and physics courses, and enhances students' personal, academic and study skills to maximize the likelihood of success in their university experience.