NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS Nora Al

Sabah Raja

Does the name Nora Al Matrooshi

remind you of anyone? An activist? Social Media Influencer? Wait, hold on, she might have posted that funny TikTok video of a cat thinking out loud?

Still thinking where she might have made her big debut, here are two words for your thoughts: space exploration. Recognizing the changing narrative of how Muslim women can successfully represent exploration in space, shows how empowering it can be to succeed as an individual when you aim to achieve your goals. Present day, 65 women in the world have been to space, but she will be the first Muslim Arab woman to reach for the stars in space.

Nora Al Matrooshi was born in 1993 and her journey began in the emirate of Sharjah, where she attended stargazing events and enjoyed learning about space in elementary school. She pursued a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education at the United Arab Emirates University and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. During her studies, she took first place in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) for the 2011 International Mathematical Olympiad. After being selected, she became a part of the 2013 UAE Youth Ambassadors Programme in South Korea, adding to her accomplishments. Strongly passionate about encouraging youth in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, she represented the UAE at the UN International Youth Conference in 2018 and 2019. Nora has also managed projects for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Saleh, 2021).

At 27-years old she officially became the first Muslim Arab female astronaut from the UAE to be selected from over 4000 applicants, and part of the second batch of Emirati astronauts to join NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the United States. Currently, she is a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Company (Centre, 2021).

Her rise to astronomical success and accomplishments began with pursuing what she has always been passionate about, getting involved and giving back to her regional, national and international community. “Do what makes you happy,” is Noor al Matrooshi’s motto in life. When you choose to do something in life, ask yourself, “Will this make me happy? Am I doing this for the right reasons? What will I learn, gain, or give back by doing this?”

Saleh, Z. (2021, April 13). 8 Things to Know About Nora Al Matrooshi, the First Female Arab Astronaut. Vogue Arabia. https://en.vogue.me/culture/nora-almatrooshi-first-arab- female-astronaut/.

Centre Space MBR. (@MBRSpaceCentre). (2021, April 10). Space was her passion since childhood... Nora AlMatrooshi, the new member of the UAE Astronaut Programme #UAEAstronauts #UAEAstronautProgramme @ Astronaut_Nora @TheUAETRA. Twitter. https://twitter.com/MBRSpaceCentre/ status/1380820144675508224?s=20.