Community profile: Ms. Budd

Community profile: Ms. Budd Each week we will feature a member of our community across all areas of the school including students, teachers, parents, support staff and more, to get to know members of our family a little better. If you would like to be featured, please email: newsletters@bisad.ae. Each week we will feature a member of our community across all areas of the school including students, teachers, parents, support staff and more, to get to know members of our family a little better. If you would like to be featured, please email: newsletters@bisad.ae.

Name and a little bit about you:
My name is Emily Budd, and I am the Psychology teacher up in the BIS Abu Dhabi Secondary School, where I am also the form tutor to 8B. This year is my third year at BIS Abu Dhabi, and I have loved every minute of my life here since I moved over in 2019, even despite the global COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Where is “home” for you?
Home for me is Greater Manchester in the North of the UK, also known for Coronation Street, Oasis and of course the best football team in the world, the mighty blues MCFC.
 
What brought your family to Abu Dhabi?
During my training and when I was first starting out as a teacher, I knew that I wanted to travel and move abroad within my career so that I could meet people from across the world and from different cultures, so after my third year of teaching in the UK I decided to join my fiancé in the UAE and left the UK for my new adventure.

Tell us something that few people know about you:
One thing that few people know about me is that I used to be a nanny in the United States for two young brothers, before becoming a teacher, in a small borough called Honesdale PA. Our favourite things to do were go to gymnastics, watch Ninjago and have campfires, featuring lots of s’mores.

What is your favourite thing about being a part of the BIS Abu Dhabi community?
My favourite thing about being a part of the BIS Abu Dhabi community is the people and students that I get to work with and the friendships I’ve built during my time here. Of course, most of my time in Abu Dhabi has been during the pandemic, which at first had its challenges, but in the end, it helped me build such strong relationships with my colleagues and co-workers, that I now feel as though they are my family, and this is my home away from home.
 
What tips or advice would you give to new families joining BIS Abu Dhabi?
My advice to anyone new to Abu Dhabi or the school is not to be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone, speak to new people, take opportunities that you would usually say no to and ask LOTS of questions (don’t ever feel like you shouldn’t ask one more) because everyone here is so friendly and supportive, you will be amazed at how warm and welcoming everyone is.
 
What do you enjoy most about living in Abu Dhabi?
Other than the people here, I love the lifestyle I get to live. Greater Manchester is a very drizzly place, so it’s not very often I would get to spend the weekend at the beach or kayaking through the mangroves – I love this about my life. I have also been able to act on opportunities here that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I wasn’t in Abu Dhabi, such as visiting Sri Lanka at Spring Break this year and in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ll be doing a Sky Dive over the Palm in Dubai – something I would have never done in the UK. I definitely consider myself very lucky (and slightly crazy)!
 

Emily Budd, Psychology Teacher