Inaugurated in 2019, the NYU Abu Dhabi Dean’s Fellowship is a 10 to 11 months leadership development program designed for NYUAD alumni who graduated within the last three years. The fellows carry out project based assignments with multiple Student Affairs departments such as Athletics, Wellness, Career Development Center and Residential Education on campus.

The Dean of Students Office oversees seven departments in total and Dean’s Fellows can choose to either work across divisions or focus on one department. This versatility is one of the key features of the program, allowing the fellows to grow professionally by letting them find their niche.

“I was happy that during my tenure I moved around and worked on different projects because they really helped me grow professionally and I was also able to contribute in some way to each department,” shared Gladys Trisai Mwedzi, Class of 2020 and Dean's Fellow for the academic year 2020-21.

Zain Mustafa, Class of 2020, is a Dean’s Fellow for the academic year 2021-22, who works with the Department of Student Activities, Leadership and First Year Experience. He had been a part of the Marhaba Committee and the First Year Dialogue program for three out of his four years at NYUAD and had also organized events for students on campus as the Programming Board Chair in his senior year.

“This is the department that I worked with for the last three years as a student. So I think it made the most sense to [the Department of Student Activities], in their needs for people. And I was pretty comfortable in [taking up that role]. I joined at a time where Marhaba was two weeks away. So it was straight into it. And so I work on Marhaba, I'm working with FYD, the Student Interest Groups and student government through leadership,” shared Mustafa.

The ability to contribute to the lives of students was the main reason Nevzat Ertunga Sarisozen, Class of 2020 applied to the program. As a dedicated staff at the Dean of Students Office, his role ranges from collaborating with other departments on interdepartmental projects to providing recommendations to the Deans on sensitive matters and managing operational aspects of the office.

The structure of the program does not just limit the fellows to the projects they are assigned but also encourages them to come up with new projects, assume full ownership of them and approach them in their unique style.

“The fellowship is something you can shape yourself,” shared Mwedzi. “It is a project based, 11 month contract but it is not rigid. It is very … flexible”

“The program is designed in a way that allows you to take initiative, lead and make decisions when appropriate. This is invaluable to me in the sense that it enables me to have a direct impact on some matters of high importance. It is not easy to navigate but it is very rewarding emotionally and professionally. On the other hand, there are a lot of projects in which teamwork, high levels of flexibility and adaptability are required,” shared Sarisozen.

A major part of the Dean’s Fellow position is the unique transition from being a student to a staff member at the university. For some of the current fellows, they had a good sense of what was to come and the shift did not come as a surprise. Sarisozen, being one of them, said: “I did not have many challenges during my transition period. I knew that as a student, there were a lot of things I did not know about the decisions and projects that I was unhappy about. So I tried to keep an open mind when I started working.”

For others, however, it took more effort to get used to their roles. “I think it is an ongoing process,” shared Mohammed Waseem Chaudry, Class of 2020 and currently a Dean’s Fellow. “I don’t think I can definitely say that this is when I am not connected to the student body at all because this is where I went, so I think it is a constant transition. I don't think it is a hard stop.”

Regardless of their different journeys, the fellows are all connected by a common string of growth and newly gained perspectives, many of which are important takeaways for current students.

“What the student body sees sometimes doesn’t represent the full picture,” Mwedzi suggested. “So when you work and see how logistics are happening, there is actually more to what is happening behind the scenes, for example with different staff, with other departments.”

The fellows encourage trust and empathy between students and the administration. As someone who has been on both ends of the spectrum, Mustafa attested to this. “For the students versus admin stuff [...] — we're not ignoring you. We see it all; we read it all; we empathize and we're trying. Administratively things take time. There are so many different offices involved. There are so many different approvals, policies and so really [...] there's no one glove fits all [approach]. [It’s] really a collaborative effort, but collaboration takes time. And we are all here for you,” Mustafa explained.

The current fellows also encourage anyone willing to learn about themselves and shape their own paths to consider applying to this program. Even if they have a different academic background, such as Mwedzi, who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, the Dean’s Fellow position can be a great opportunity to hone your leadership skills and explore various paths going forward. Mwedzi summarized the ideal attitude towards the position when she encouraged potential fellows to “learn, unlearn and relearn.”

Mustafa also recommends applicants to start early. Given the small size of the campus, it is easy to grow your network within the university by getting involved with different projects as a student and expanding your portfolio can be a great segue into a Dean’s Fellowship.

The Dean’s Fellow position is unique in more than one way and the outcome from the experience can be tailored to individual goals and aspirations. It offers ample space to build a professional repertoire and develop interpersonal interactions such as empathy.

As Mustafa shared: “it just cements how great of an institution this is. The fact that there's so many staff members working for us [throughout our] four year education. Really, I get emotional sometimes [...] such a big team supporting me as a student for four years and so just to be able to give back in my capacity to the school that gave to me is very rewarding.”