UAE’s first female police pilot reveals secret of women’s rise

Gulf News

Captain Shaikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum, UAE’s first police pilot, praises leadership and family support.  Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/38AXybh  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos  Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  #UAE #DubaiPolice #Women

Transcript

00:00If we sit there and wait for our dreams to materialize, that day will never come.

00:06Many of us are really great at creating boundaries within our minds,

00:11answering questions in our heads before they're asked out loud. I also had those stories in my mind.

00:17They're called limiting beliefs, and I knew I had to stop them.

00:23My story was that I thought I will never be able to study abroad alone,

00:28and I could not accept that.

00:30So I took the courage and asked the question out loud to my parents, and what I got back was

00:37amazing amount of support and encouragement.

00:41Imagine if I let the story in my head silently dictate the outcome. When I look back and reflect on the journey so far,

00:49even with the support, it was not easy. I did have difficult times, times when I was missing home,

00:57times when I could not see a positive outcome,

01:00self-doubt that had to be overcome.

01:03It was equally a physical and mental challenge, but I always had that feeling of not wanting to be average.

01:11I wanted to prove myself.

01:13The truth is I may have actually had it more difficult than the guys at some point, and that was okay.

01:19I always faced such situations with a positive attitude.

01:23It is no surprise to anyone that throughout this journey,

01:28I have noticed that the number of women in the aviation industry is very low compared to the number of men.

01:34It is also interesting that one of my trainers, a pilot with more than 30 years experience, once told me

01:42that throughout his career, he had trained a total of seven women,

01:47including me, and that all showed competence, commitment, attitude, and skills

01:54superior to the men he trained.

01:56It came along as a genuine reflection, not flattery.

02:00Maybe that's because we always feel we have to work twice as hard to prove our worth.

02:06However, this is slowly changing. We are slowly getting more women to join.

02:12Given my experience and my love for it,

02:14I felt compelled to do something tangible to accelerate the growth rate of women entering the industry.

02:22Last October, I established the Women in Aviation Association,

02:27SHEHANA,

02:29to increase the female ratio and promote awareness.

02:34The aviation industry is a vast and exciting playing field

02:39for many professions, not just for pilots, and through SHEHANA,

02:44we want to show the community the many opportunities in which our young female professionals can flourish in.

02:51Whether a lawyer, a doctor, a pilot, or an engineer,

02:56the aviation industry can foster and nurture women.

03:01SHEHANA is willing to give direction and support to all those women willing to join the aviation industry.

03:09I personally would like to see more young women, more young girls, be made aware

03:16of the opportunities they have going forward.

03:19Our leaders have demonstrated so much faith in us.

03:22Now, it is our turn to make them proud and show them that the UAE women can represent them

03:30locally and internationally.

03:32SHEHANA is where I see my passion and my contribution

03:37tangibly growing.

03:40However, I'm still at the start of my journey, and I feel I have a duty too, towards my country.

03:50And so when the opportunity presented, I set my eyes on a new goal, joining Dubai Police Air Wing.

03:58Thanks to the support of our leaders, and especially His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

04:06I recently graduated.

04:13I recently graduated as first lieutenant pilot of the Dubai Police Air Wing,

04:18becoming the first female pilot in the police in the UAE.

04:24I am proud and extremely grateful to be serving my country, being part of Dubai Police.

04:31This is a very rewarding role, where I get to help the community and a job that I love and I'm so passionate about.

04:38My duties range from patrolling to search and rescue missions.

04:42I can't believe that something that started out as a hobby,

04:46turned my life around in such a meaningful way.

04:49I hope that my journey could serve as inspiration and encouragement to all young females still searching for a path,

04:57and show them that there's still space for women in serving our country.

05:02When was the last time you did something for the first time?

05:07I hope you will always remember that.

05:10I hope you will always want to try new things and explore more,

05:14because this enriches us as women, and as humans, and as members of the civil society.

05:22I am only 23 years old.

05:34And I'm still here.

05:36And I'm still at the start of my journey.

05:38I hope I never lose this thirst for adventure.

05:42Flying has given me the greatest gift of all, and the greatest wisdom,

05:46for being able to trust in myself when I'm up at 39,000 feet above the ground.

05:52There are no limits we can't defy in the pursuit of our dreams,

05:58if we all have what in Arabic we call,

06:02determination and persistence.

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