My Internship at Qiddiya

About me:

I am Abdullah AL-Gannas, a civil engineer intern at Qiddiya. I was born and raised in the amazing Riyadh. I grew up with a warm family of seven, and we all grew up loving science and learning new things. After graduating from Al-Farooq High School, I pursued my engineering passion in King Saud University (KSU), where I learned not only academic science but also real-life skills. The next big step in my life was, when I was chosen by the College of Civil Engineering department in KSU, to continue my training in South Korea. Currently, I am so proud to be an intern at Qiddiya.

My Training Trip:

Working in Seoul with big energy companies was an amazing chance for me to learn and gain new experiences. There, I gained knowledge and skills in in the technical field, for example, I worked hands-on with gas, oil and coal power plants. In addition, I had a rare and memorable experience, visiting a real and working nuclear power plant. Also, when visiting South Korea I had the chance to interact and work with many people from different cultures, which improved my social skills. Overall, my training trip was a great experience that enhanced my skills and gave me a lot of confidence and taught me.

Internship at Qiddiya:

In 2020, I embarked on a new and exciting journey in my life, as I started working as an intern in Qiddiya, which is a dream city that provides entertainment, sport, and arts. It has five different cornerstones which are Motion and Mobility, Sport and Wellness, Nature and Environment, Arts and Culture and finally Parks and Attractions. I am a member of Motion and Mobility (M & M) team, and we are working in multiple projects such as unique racing tracks, tunnels, and a funicular. I am very lucky to be part of an amazing and profession team, directed by Abdulaziz Al-Aqel, who is an ideal director to work for. He always encourages me to learn and keeps me on my toes. Qiddiya offers the best chance for Saudi graduates to progress professionally as it is filled with new challenges and experiences. Furthermore, Qiddiya, has attracted a myriad of experts and industry leaders that I have had the pleasure to work with.

Overall, I am thankful for Qiddiya for the amazing opportunities. 

My Project at Qiddiya:

One of Qiddiya’s intern’s responsibilities is to create a project that enhances the value of Qiddiya and has a big impact. My project was to create two mascots that represents Motion and Mobility. The mascots were supposed to be a brother and sister of Arabian leopards. They are both native to the Arabian Peninsula and represent speed and athleticism. Also, they would be role models for the young generation by shedding light on important subjects such as climate change, female empowerment and wild life protection. In addition, mascots are known to add great value and increase companies revenue exponentially through merchandise and advertisements. I would like to thank everyone that helped me from Motion and Mobility, starting from the Executive Director Abdulaziz Al-Aqel.

Difficult Times:

In March 2020, the first Covid19 case was announced in Saudi Arabia. And ever since, our lives have changed. We started social distancing, using hand sanitizer and wearing masks. Also, we were anxiously worried about our health and our loved ones. Here Qiddiya took instant initiatives to ensure everyone’s safety and health. We were ready to start working remotely and apply all the preventive guidelines to flatten the pandemic curve. We started using the best tools to ensure that work went smoothly and swiftly with no delay. And I would like to thank Qiddiya for their constant effort to ensure that we keep good physical and mental health during rough times. In addition, I want to encourage everyone to cope with such times by reaching out, socializing, and talking to trusted ones and professionals if needed. I believe we will come out of this global threat, stronger as we always do. Finally, I wish everyone a healthy and lovely year.