Location
Somerset, NJ
Title:
Miss
School or Organization:
Hillside Intermediate School
I am a:
teacher
Languages spoken:
English Urdu
Twitter Profile URL:
@missmasud
Short bio or reason for joining Actionable Innovations Global:
Although we are all multifaceted, one aspect of my life that I am particularly passionate about is serving as an educator. This has allowed me the space to explore many sides of who I am, who I am not, and who I strive to become. Although I do not believe degrees determine destiny, I was privileged with the opportunity to earn my Master's degree in Education from Rutgers University. I am now honored to be the leader of the "Masudians"- what I affectionately call my students. Through this experience, I have gained skills in service learning, creative problem-solving, leadership, and patience. Most importantly, I have learned what it means to choose to show up and commit to caring for others over and over again. As for my educational philosophy, instead of rattling off buzzwords that impart my knowledge of pedagogy, I will simply share that I believe that travel is the best way to both receive and apply a global education. My philosophy also includes curiosity, challenging the status quo, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable, continually finetuning my skill set, and acquiring more worldly narratives while creating safe spaces for them. For better or worse, I refuse to believe that pure intentions, honest communication with an audience prepared to listen, and a solid work ethic, cannot help heal much of what has been broken. My recent adventure of becoming a Fulbright Scholar for Global Classrooms allowed me the opportunity to spread my wings in ways that touched on these various aspects of who I am. As Fulbright shares with us, it allows the opportunity for engagement in cutting-edge research and expansion of professional networks often resulting in continuing research collaborations that start abroad and lay the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. This is especially important to me. Why do I care about this? Well, there are probably some deeper psychological theories behind this, like having a hero complex, wanting to heal my childhood wounds, or maybe even pure ego, but for now, I will chalk it up to wanting to have a small part in creating a global culture we are all comfortable participating in. At the core, all of us want to be seen, heard, or validated within safe spaces. I would like to do my part to ensure more of us experience those things. I don't know when or how it is happening exactly, but I can feel change happening amidst the chaos, I don't know about you, but I want to stick around to see what happens next. Until that, I would like to use platforms such as these to pay these messages forward.
Global education projects or initiatives in which you are involved (if applicable):
Roots & Shoots is an organization all about growth. Literally and metaphorically. Currently, I serve as one of the advisors for my school's Roots & Shoots program. It is the only school in the country that has adopted and committed to the Roots & Shoots mission school-wide. Dr. Jane Goodall has visited our school...TWICE! Our focus is threefold: Caring about humans, the environment, and animals. This role has awarded me the chance to work with and support students in Kenya and Tanzania to further their own education in order to strengthen and develop their local communities. Teach people to fish, yes, but also teach them how to fundraise.
