Community College Initiative Program

While my last degree seems unrelated, my previous experience as a political science and history major was the seed from which my interest in international affairs evolved. I have determined that I really enjoy working on world politics, armed conflicts, international security issues and that the international affairs are more appealing to me than the business world. Being born in a Shiite family in a predominantly Sunni country, in an era when religious violence against minorities was on the rise, gave me unique perspective about geopolitical situation of Pakistan. Shia-Sunni conflict forced my family to migrate from one city to another in a country, which has faced tremendous amount of political, social and diplomatic challenges since its

It can also be traced back to Saudi Arabia, the regional rival of Iran, which has added fuel to the fire. It was this search of my own identity and history that led me to gain more intensive and refine knowledge of my region and the world.

My participation in the program at this time would surely be significant in my journey of personal and professional development. It would be based on my understanding of leadership through my past work experience. My interest in international affairs was sparked during my exchange programs. I represented Pakistan, at various international events like Youth Assembly at the United Nations, Canadian Red Cross Power of Humanity Gala and the U.S. Department of state granted me Community College Initiative Program Scholarship to study, and participate in volunteer activities. I focus on the topics of international conflict resolution, peace operations in fragile areas and have a strong passion for leadership programs, and development. I intend to specialize in security and peace building track of the program along with courses in international law. I am especially excited about taking Natural resources and armed conflicts under international law and History and politics of

Learning a foreign language takes time and devotion. It is said that you live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once. It will also help me share my experience and thoughts with developing leaders from different parts of the world. I will be able to learn more about conflicts and peace building aspect, cross-national similarities and how to promote inter cultural harmony among different cultures of the world. People of every country have there own communication styles and possess different attitudes towards completing tasks. Therefore I want to learn more about different decision making styles and versatile problem resolution skills which make it more attractive to learn from others and to share your own ideas. We are all living in cultures with different values and traditions. Culture also affects human behavior, the more we understand it, and the better member of society we will be and the more peaceful world we can create. In current scenario where I only see hatred, extremism and terrorism all around, it is very essential to cultivate tolerance for different cultures and ways of living. This is only possible by learning new languages and by studying and developing an understanding of foreign cultures and their way of thinking. Masters in International Affairs will not only enable me to enter the political and diplomatic world but