By Farjana Shati:
In my fourth year as a Math Education major student at City Tech, I was looking forward towards the semester Winter Break. Nevertheless in December 2017, I was juggling between my high school student teaching placements and creating an honors research poster for a presentation. Next thing I know, I found myself interviewing for the 2018 CUNY Youth Ambassador (CYA) Position!
Reading the word “Ambassador” in the email heading made me feel unsteady. At first, I was not quite sure what this position would require of me. Yet I drew courage from the national conferences I had already participated in and was intrigued about the possibility to go to the UN headquarters in New York to attend the 2018 Winter Youth Assembly in February.
In preparation for my interview, I was asked by the program directors Prof. ElHitti and Prof. Bonanome to read an article they had published in Pass Blue earlier that year. The article in essence invited both the UN and CUNY to collaborate – especially on SDG4 (the UN Sustainable Development Goal, Quality Education for All.) As I write this post, I now find myself comfortable with the acronyms “SDG,” SDG4,” “2030 Agenda,” etc. However just a month ago, as I went through the article for the first time, I felt bombarded by these unfamiliar phrases and terms. I then realized that I was up for a role which would challenge my academic horizons. It made me both excited and terrified!
The interview was eye opening and inspiring. I left it feeling good at heart thinking that an initiative to promote quality education by aligning with the UN’s vision is happening at City Tech. With this initiative CUNY students like myself who may not have had the opportunity to participate in education issues at the global level, can now have a platform from which to do so.
The day finally arrived when I received the confirmation email on being chosen as the CUNY Youth Ambassador. I became more nervous and anxious than I was for the interview in view of the enormous responsibility of the role. I consulted with every possible person I met that weekend starting with my parents, siblings, and cousins before committing to this prominent position. My community was drawn to the opportunity to work with the UN, and I was drawn to the possibility of realizing a lifelong dream I had to make a difference in people’s education and to the novel experience that lay ahead. I felt scared due to the expectations I will have to meet but at the same time I knew that being part of this program will allow me to give back to the City Tech community and will add to the opportunities for my fellow City Tech students, current and future, to grow beyond their academic skills and get prepared for a global workforce.
As the weekend drew to an end, and my mind was set up on accepting the role, I signed the agreement letter, drafted my bio, composed my acceptance email and courageously hit send. I woke up Monday morning, at the dawn of 2018, to start a new week, like I had done many times before, yet what was different now was that I was the CUNY Youth Ambassador and I was about to start on this new and exciting chapter of my life, along with the New Year!
