I was initially introduced to ideas and literature surrounding development in my History and Globalization course in my freshman year. Although I navigated various potential career paths through my classes, ranging from archaeology to Islamic history, I realized that it was my initial curiosity for how we understand development that connected my various interests in some way. Now, I work to translate this curiosity into tangible contributions to the development and humanitarian sector from the UAE outwards.
People are often surprised to know that my history courses were the ones that equipped me with the tools I need to work in the international organizations sector. The ability to draw connections and patterns from seemingly disparate topics, critically think and question, research beyond the surface and communicate my findings clearly are skills I learnt in the history program which I use on a daily basis in my current work. Similarly, the analytical and quantitative research skills I learnt during my political science capstone prepared me to handle data within my job.
Home Region: Dubai, UAE
Current: Strategic Liaison Officer at UN WFP (United Nations World Food Programme)
Location: Dubai, UAE
Major: Political Science and History
Looking back, courses that were outside my comfort zone, notorious for being hard or revolved around topics that I had very limited knowledge about were the ones that impacted my understanding of the world the most.
After graduation, I started my journey in international development and the humanitarian sector as a Senior External Relations Associate at the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) based in their office in the UAE. In just a few months, I gained so much valuable hands-on experience and felt ready to take the next step in my career in the UN by joining the World Food Programme as a Strategic Liason Officer. Prior to my senior year at NYUAD, I never anticipated working in the UN sector until I unexpectedly landed an internship with the UN Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs which I found on the official UN Career portal. It was through this internship that I found my mentors, really understood the gap and potential for young people in international organizations in the UAE and made a space for myself in a new and unfamiliar work environment. I am extremely grateful that my job allows me to embody the UAE’s philanthropic attitude, work on urgent global challenges affecting people on the ground and contribute to international humanitarian efforts and projects globally as part of an incredibly diverse team.