Being the President of Student Government at NYU Abu Dhabi meant the world to Ayham Taisir Adawi, Class of 2022, because it meant he could lift people up and be their advocate, be their voice.
Helping people energized him, and still does.
Learning to listen, comfort, and guide students through some of their most challenging moments brought him immense satisfaction. “It made me grow,” he says.
Four years of heavy involvement in NYUAD student affairs, and a degree in biology, prepared Adawi well for his current job at the busy Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Working in healthcare is the perfect fit for someone like Adawi who is as comfortable on the frontlines as he is in the research lab. At Mount Sinai he’s developing important scientific knowledge and learning about hands-on, compassionate patient care. Becoming a doctor will require both these skills and that’s his eventual goal.
Major: Biology
Home Country: UAE
Current: Research coordinator, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, US
But he’s in no hurry, and for good reason. At NYUAD, Adawi learned a valuable life lesson: don’t rush yourself or you risk suffering from unnecessary burnout. He says, “I took a gap year, I had to rest, and get life experiences. I think that really helped me.”
For now, he’s happy where he is — getting practical, on the job experience, saving up some money, and enjoying all that New York City has to offer.
Student advocacy and activism really charged me, motivated me. Learning to listen, comfort, and guide students through some of their most challenging moments brought him immense satisfaction. It made me grow.