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Milica Gajic

Milica Gajic, Class of 2019

Major: 

Current Role: Behavioral Therapist, Mohammad Bin Rashid Center for Special Education

Current Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Home Country: Serbia

“I love working with children”

Milica Gajic, Class of 2019, has a full-time job as a behavioral therapist at one of Abu Dhabi’s top special education centers.

NYUAD: Nice to see you again, Milica.

Hello!

NYUAD: What’s your role at the special education center?

I work with children ages 8 to 12 applying a comprehensive range of clinical and educational services based upon the principles of applied behavior analysis. We’re teaching students to improve their daily living skills and be more independent. Each student has their own individualized education plan. I monitor their progress and also work closely with the clinical team.

NYUAD: How did you find out about the job opening?

I reached out to a representative I met at the Opportunities Fair in my sophomore year. I got into a couple graduate schools but couldn’t go because of financial reasons. So I had to shift and look for jobs. All the volunteering and community service I did at NYUAD made me suitable for a position that required two years of experience.

NYUAD: The pandemic struck about six months into your first job. What was it like adapting to online learning in a special needs school?

We found an excellent online platform that worked for us but it was still really challenging. Our students are just developing simple skills. Some don’t have access to technology or are not at the level where they can use it. Then you have internet connection difficulties and some families that weren’t willing or able to shift online. Some of those students fell behind. It was hard.

 

All the volunteering and community service I did at NYUAD made me suitable for a position that required two years of experience.

Milica Gajic, Class of 2019

NYUAD: What do you like most about your job?

I love how much I’m learning. It’s a lot of responsibility. I also love the comprehensive approach of working with children and their families.

NYUAD: What are your fondest memories of NYUAD?

Definitely the friendships. Some of my best friends aren’t from my home country, and don’t even speak my native language. Yet, I feel the closest to them. That’s not something I could have imagined before NYUAD.

NYUAD: What piece of advice would you give yourself as a freshman?

Make the most of all the experiences that NYUAD has to offer but don’t spread yourself too thin. Stay true to what really matters to you. Define what success means to you and try to follow that when making choices, especially when there are so many exciting and interesting things to try.