Reading was and still is an essential part of my daily life

Student Dana Adel Al Zarouni, from Al Ittihad National Private School in Abu Dhabi, was crowned champion of the tenth session of the “Arab Reading Challenge” for the year 2026 in the UAE, during the ceremony witnessed by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and in the presence of Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education.

Al Zarouni’s coronation came after a busy competitive journey, during which she demonstrated exceptional superiority in the skills of reading, understanding, analysis and expression, ahead of thousands of participants, devoting her presence as a shining example to a generation that bets on knowledge, is proud of its Arabic language, and makes reading a gateway to excellence and creating the future.

Student Dana Adel Al-Zarouni confirmed to Emirates Al-Youm that reading was and still is an essential part of her daily life, noting that for years she had become accustomed to allocating a fixed time to reading, which enabled her to read dozens of books in the fields of literature, history, biography, science and development, stressing that every book she finished opened new horizons for her and gave her a broader vocabulary and a greater ability to understand, analyze and discuss, which was directly reflected in her performance in the Arab Reading Challenge.

She said that the “Arab Reading Challenge” is not just a competition to compete for titles, but rather a cognitive journey that creates a reading and thinking generation, and instils in students self-confidence and belonging to the Arabic language. She sent a message to her peers, calling on them to make reading a daily habit, stressing that success does not come all at once, but rather begins with a book, then an idea, then persistence that accumulates until it turns into an achievement that its owner and his country are proud of.

Al Zarouni expressed her overwhelming happiness at being crowned champion of the Arab Reading Challenge at the level of the UAE, stressing that this achievement represents an important milestone in her journey and not the end of it, and that her feeling of pride doubled because she carried the name of the Emirates and its school in this great cultural forum.

She added that winning gave her a greater responsibility to continue reading and learning, and that she dedicates this achievement to her family, her teachers, and everyone who believed in her ability and encouraged her to continue on the path of knowledge.