Mohiba Ahmed is a master’s student from New York University who is earning a degree in Middle Eastern Studies. She is a High School Program Development Intern who works closely with Breakthrough’s 10th grade cohort.
Engaging with Different Communities
As an intern, Mohiba supports Breakthrough’s high school team in developing and facilitating seminar curricula. Some session topics include New York City school policy, media literacy, and civic responsibility. Mohiba engaged in discussion with students as well as facilitated a peer-learning component where 10th graders led lessons with 9th graders.
Originally from Pakistan, Mohiba felt it was an enriching experience to interact with students in the US and learn about the NYC school system. “That really was a learning curve for me, but also really exciting to interact with so many different communities and understand our differences in a positive way,” she says.
Advocacy & Leadership
Mohiba has been a fierce advocate for the rights of ethnic, religious, and gender minorities in Pakistan and South Asia. She plans to continue her advocacy work after she completes her master’s program. “I’ve been really passionate about working with human rights organizations that aim to address the issues of the most neglected and underrepresented groups within society,” she explains. “That’s my goal – to work with such an organization here, and to bridge the gap.”
One takeaway Mohiba has from this internship is the importance of leadership. “[This role] helped me acquire more leadership skills,” she says. “It [increased] my knowledge of how individual leadership can impact individuals, teams, [and] organizations across educational sectors to transform the schools and communities.”