Meet our next dynamic volunteer – Kunooz Al Otaibi, from Dammam. Kunooz wears many hats – she’s an Engineer, an artist and, an entrepreneur @koko_art. She arrived in Dubai in 2014 to study Bachelor in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Sharjah followed by a Master in Engineering Management, from the University of Wollongong.
Reflecting on her multi-faceted personality, Kunooz says, “All the roles I play are important to me and have shaped me for who I am.”
“My mum is an artist; I grew up watching her exhibit and conduct workshops – hand-painting came naturally to me. Engineering has helped me realize that I can apply my intelligence to make a positive, tangible change in the world. With entrepreneurship, watching something grow from ground zero gave me a strong sense of accomplishment.”
In only under a decade of running her business, Kunooz has grown phenomenally –besides earning her degree, she has done ads, conducted workshops, exhibits, and even collaborated with Nike! Her work has also found loving homes in certain concept stores in Saudi Arabia.
Living in the UAE has given Kunooz the opportunity to become social and independent virtues that are strongly encouraged by her parents. “For someone who isn’t very social naturally, coming to Dubai was hard. But I’m glad I did. Dubai pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
Staying away from home isn’t always easy though – besides her parents as cheerleaders, Kunooz has a loving, stable companion called Toffee - her nearly decade - old cat. “Toffee was born in Saudi and accompanied me to Dubai. She eats with us, sleeps with us; Toffee is my sibling. You’ll find Toffee lying down next to someone if someone is sick.”
Because Kunooz has always been interested in trying various things, joining Kutubna only seemed organic. “I have always been drawn to art and culture so joining Kutubna was a natural progression. Essentially, I manage marketing and HR for Kutubna and I hope I can offer as much as I know I will receive from it, if not more. Working with Kutubna is like opening myself up to a multi-cultural community of artists and art lovers. It’s a brilliant chance for me to network with like-minded individuals but also explore those who are different from me. I cannot wait to be inspired!”
And we at Kutubna can only be grateful for the energy and warmth Kunooz brings to the team.
Crafted by: @sanobar.sabah