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I was born in Erbil and raised in Canada. What brought me to
AUP was my keen interest in expanding my international
experience by living in the heart of Europe and making new
friends and contacts through AUP’s culturally diverse
classes and distinguished professors. What I found at AUP
was more than what I was hoping for – thanks to its friendly
staff, helpful student advisors, and above all its practical
real-life modules as part of my MA program.
A dual citizen of Canada and Iraq, I speak, read, and write
English, French, Kurdish, and Arabic. The multicultural
environment of AUP not only gave me a deeper appreciation
for differences in cultures, customs, opinions, and beliefs;
it paved my way towards recognizing the similarities in
values and principles across humanity. Meeting classmates
from such unique cultural backgrounds and establishing new
friendships allowed me to feel more connected to world
events and to relate more closely to political and social
conflicts and developments happening elsewhere.
In January 2009, I completed a six-month internship at the
United Nations Headquarters in NY, where I worked in the
Senior Leadership Appointments Section of the Office of the
Under-Secretary-General (DFS), and contributed to
counter-terrorism with the Executive Office of the
Secretary-General. I later worked on post-conflict
reconstruction and public service delivery at the UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Before the end of my studies at AUP, I landed a job in April
2009 with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) in Paris, where I worked for one year as a
full-time Consultant on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Governance Programme. From July 2010 to June 2011, I was
hired as Youth Programme Manager and Technical Analyst at
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Erbil, Iraq. I
was responsible for implementing UNFPA’s youth
development programs while gaining remarkable hands-on
experience in dealing with the wide range of youth issues
across Iraq and through liaising with other agencies and
NOGs in the country.
In August 2011, I was hired on a Fixed Term contract by the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), where I
have been working as Political Affairs Officer in Baghdad.
What really enriched my experiences and skills were my
studies at AUP. The modules in the Master of Arts in
International Affairs, Conflict Resolution, and Civil
Society Development Program were extremely helpful not only
in my professional life, but also in my personal life in
terms of conflict resolution and negotiation, and handling
relations between the UN and civil society organizations.
With its location in the melting pot of Europe and its
students and staff from the most interesting mixture of
nationalities and ethnicities, attending AUP helped me feel
related to every nation, to every culture, and to every
language. It is an ideal place for forgetting our
differences and for truly appreciating our similarities. AUP
is a university that literally allows you to hit the ground
running!
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