NYU Global Equity Fellowship

Hi y’all! I am a junior in CAS studying Global Public Health with a concentration in Anthropology and a minor in Documentary Film from Tisch. I am passionate about community based research, and combining documentary film with public health in order to elevate the stories of different populations' health needs.

Being involved in community service has allowed me to understand the broad scope of public health and fueled my interest in addressing health disparities. As a peer mentor for Project Outreach I learned about food justice, and volunteering in harm reduction taught me so much about substance use and health.

This semester, I hope to facilitate connections between learning about public health in Accra and practicing solidarity and support with the community!

Mi-kaisha is a student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, who is also minoring in Native American and Indigenous Studies at NYU. She is a First Nations Australian and Tongan woman from Sydney, Australia.

Mi-kaisha is also a Clive Davis Institute Student Representative and the Social Media Coordinator of the Native American and Indigenous Students Group. She is passionate about increasing the presence of Indigenous knowledges and histories in school curriculums and amplifying First Nations voices through creative expression.

Ivan is a junior studying politics at the College of Arts and Science (CAS). Born in New York City to a Nicaraguan mother and a Dominican father, along with being raised in El Paso, Texas, he is deeply interested in the intersection of politics, identity, and culture from a progressive point of view. For this reason, he is profoundly focused on the concept of justice and its implications on the marginalized. As a first-generation American raised along the Mexico-United States border, he hopes to foster inclusion, diversity, belonging, and equity by aiding in the fight for acceptance of all people in all areas. His social justice interests include civil rights & civil liberties, criminal justice reform, labor rights, among other issues.

Alisha Meghani is a junior at CAS double majoring in Politics and Journalism, with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies and is one of the Global Equity Fellows at NYU Florence this semester. Born as Pakistani-American in Los Angeles, California, she grew up immersed in a diverse city.

Her interest lies in feminist governance in Muslim countries, the South-Asian diaspora, Islamophobia and politics of the Middle East, human rights, law, and gender and sexuality social justice. At NYU, she writes for Washington Square News, In The Zeitgeist, IR Insider, and is a part of the Journal of Social and Cultural Analysis. She is also a member of the Presidential Honors Scholars program.
 

My name is Dehlina Dowdy. I am currently 19 years old and a sophomore at NYU CAS
majoring in International Relations, minoring in Economics. I love dorming in the Washington
Square campus even when previously living in the same borough; the neighborhoods are still
completely different vibes! I’ve grown up in Harlem my whole life and as much as I love it, the
lively and fast-paced lower Manhattan was calling my name.

When I was 11 years old, my family and I packed our bags and left Harlem for a month
to see some relatives on my mom’s side in Ethiopia. As much as I enjoyed seeing family, I
struggled with keeping my eyes open when passing thousands of homeless people that flooded
the streets. Learning that Ethiopia was a third world country was initially difficult for me, and I
realized I wanted to help strengthen my native country’s economy. I gained an interest in IR
since commercial and political interactions of countries around the world can be useful when
studying the economic conditions of certain countries.

The global equity fellowship requires me to be strictly independent, maintain a safe space
for my community, and reflect on noteworthy customs/politics/culture of a foreign country.
These are all amazing tasks that will enhance my personal growth and knowledge in global
intersectionalities, and it will be a major contribution to my role in International Relations.

Hey! My name is Angelique Pompee. I am a junior at Stern studying Management and double minoring in Social Entrepreneurship and Creative Writing. I love to write poetry, crochet, and try out different cuisines. My favorite part of being a student at NYU is meeting new people from different cultures.

Being born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, I witnessed the inaccessibility of college access and lack of financial resources. When I started mentoring high-school girls across the U.S, I wondered if this issue was prevalent elsewhere.

When I first heard the term “global citizen”, I grew an interest in having an impact on a worldwide scale. In 2019, I worked with Social Entrepreneurship Ghana to bring business tools and education initiatives to a rural area in Ghana.

Studying abroad in London is my next step in learning about and addressing issues around IDBEA. I hope to share my passion for social impact and entrepreneurship at my site. As a global equity fellow, I plan to capture the stories of marginalized communities that only NYU London can tell...

Hi everyone! My name is Nicholas D’Souza, and I am a second-year student in Liberal Studies, studying psychology. My involvement in college extends between NYU Welcome, Washington Square News, Admissions Ambassadors, and others, but my main passions revolve around the education of diversity and equity in my community. Raised in Kansas, I was made aware of my privileges and differences at an early age, and growing up multiracial in a predominantly white community sparked my initial dedication to help educate others on the inequities in all intersections of diversity.

As a Global Equity Fellow, I aim to provide safe spaces and accessible resources for students on campus that also transcend to the broader London community to help fix predominant injustices.

Hi! My name is Shahad and I am a junior at NYU Abu Dhabi, studying Film and Art History, with a focus on documentary and activist projects and installations. As a creative and activist, I use my work to explore themes like sustainability, climate action, veganism, fast fashion and queer representation within my work. In my free time you will always find me outdoors; running, climbing, swimming, hiking or just existing under the sun - connecting with nature is very important to me!

Born in Boston and raised 6,000 miles away in Abu Dhabi, I come from a background of over six nationalities. Because of my multicultural background, diversity is a concept that was incorporated within my life ever since I was born. And while differences have the stereotype of dividing people, I believe we should strive to shift the focus on how those differences can bring a group of people together in beautiful and interesting ways. Through cultivating a culture of inclusivity and appreciation, I want NYU Los Angeles’ diversity to bring each of our unique worldviews to the table, especially in our fields of creative work and new media. As the Global Equity Fellow of this site, I’d also like to explore and highlight the important locations in the city that symbolize it’s rich multiethnic history of identities.
 

Hi everyone! My name is Ama Sarpomaa and I’m currently in my third year at NYU Gallatin. My individualized major centers on the intersections of politics and media and their effects on immigrants and other marginalized communities. Relocating to a predominantly white suburban town after spending the first eleven years of my life in Ghana introduced me to the significance of representation and safe spaces especially within the scope of academia. In my semester as Madrid’s Global Equity fellow, I hope to foster a sense of belonging within the student body as they navigate campus life as well as life as a resident in a country they may be visiting for the first time.

Chandler Brossard is a junior at New York University Abu Dhabi studying Philosophy with a minor in Chinese and African Studies. While the different museums and landmarks are of great interest, she is excited to eat her way through the city and truly explore everything Paris has to offer.

Through her role as Global Equity Fellow, she hopes to foster an open and inviting atmosphere that promotes inclusion and acceptance. The events that she plans to host will be designed to highlight historically underrepresented communities that are mainly left out of the national narrative and perspective. Chandler is hoping to help the NYU Paris community become a place where everyone belongs.

Hi all! My name is Emily Coon and I’m a junior at the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Public Policy with a double minor in Law & Society and Social and Cultural Analysis. I spent most of my childhood in Houston, Texas, but have also lived in New Orleans, Calgary, and London. In addition to being around many different cultures throughout childhood, I was involved with the Student Diversity Committee at my high school and went on to lead my own diversity program during my senior year. I am very excited to continue that work at NYU Paris!

Since coming to New York City, I’ve pursued diversity work and activism through volunteer work with nonprofits and community organizations such as Elizabeth Street Garden, New Sanctuary Coalition, and The Door: A Center for Alternatives. My areas of interest include community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, sustainable urban development, and humanitarian crisis management. I hope to explore these topics further in the context of Metropolitan France and within an IDBE setting.

Hi, y'all! I am Raadiya Shardow and I am a junior at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. I'm studying public policy, economics, and social impact. I am also working toward a Minor in Arabic. As the co-Leader for the First-Generation/Low-Income Partnership at NYU, I am passionate about educational equity and building a community that centers belonging and advocates for equity and accessibility. I also serve as a mentor for first-year Gallatin students of color through the AAP Mentorship program and the Gallatin Business Society.

As a Global Equity Fellow, I am excited to extend the scope of my IDBE work to students studying away at NYU Prague by creating experiences that foster a sense of belonging and community for all.

ሰላም ፣ ጤና፡ይስጥልኝ! My name is Mahder, and I’m an NYU Shanghai portal student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia serving as a GEF at NYU Tel Aviv. My upbringing in a multilingual and multi religious environment inspired my self-designed major in religious and linguistic anthropology. It has also made me very conscious of the vulnerability of heterogeneous societies to tensions and clashes. This has greatly shaped my social justice advocacy as I now focus on linguistic representation and religious inclusivity. While my selection of a study away site was based on my academic interests, I am honored and looking forward to the opportunity to implement what I have learned in the classroom to impact the experiences of fellow NYU students.

Hey everyone! I am Farzana Tasnim (she/her), a sophomore in Liberal Studies transferring to Gallatin with a concentration in journalism, mental health, and the criminal justice system. I was born and raised in Bangladesh until I immigrated to Queens, NYC, via the Diversity Green Card Lottery. As a first-generation Bengali Muslim, I take a lot of pride in fusing both my culture and religion into my identity and making it my own.

Growing up, I have usually been shunned from pursuing my passions due to the traditional culture I grew up in. From years (and years!) of reflection, I have grown to use it as a driving force to create open spaces for myself and my interests. I now live by the motto ‘Let us all commit to a forever of accountability and justice’ through my activism and extracurriculars! Being a Global Equity Fellow at NYU D.C., I am interested in understanding the substance of law and policy to take direct action towards fighting for a progressive society. I hope that through proximity, I will have the privilege to liberate truths concerning the racial narrative in this country through uplifting marginalized voices. Let us all grow together!