Emirati students from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed University gained real hands-on experience at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, as they assisted Public Relations (PR) officials from the PGA European Tour, and the event’s organisers, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, look after 140 local and international journalists in the media centre

The three students, all studying communications and hoping to work in PR when they graduate, thoroughly enjoyed their time at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and revealed the experience has left them eager to pursue full-time careers in the industry.

Myriam Al Dhaheri, Sarah Al Hosani and Razan Elzubair spent four days helping research stories for press releases, updating social media pages, interviewing visitors and managing players press conferences, including marquee media briefings with 2012 winner, Robert Rock, and 14 time Major winner, Tiger Woods, who finished joint-third on his Abu Dhabi debut.

Myriam Al Dhaheri, who lives in Khalifa City, said: “I really liked attending the press conferences. We were given a lot of independence which was great, as it gave us a sense of responsibility. It gave us the confidence to go forward and do more things.”

Classmate Sarah Al Hosani particularly enjoyed going into the Championship Village to interview visitors for social media updates and press releases.  “It was my first time interviewing people in public but I felt confident and liked interacting with people.”

The girls all agreed that the experience gave them a genuine insight into the world of media and communications, an experience that is extremely beneficial to their career ambitions.

“I’m lucky to have very supportive parents, and my Professor [David Bulla] is brilliant,” said Razan Elzubair.  “He always encourages us to get involved with projects, which is great because now I know what real PR entails.”