Ayesha graduated from New York University with a double major in Political Science and Journalism.
During sophomore year in college, she interned as a Contributing Writer for one of Pakistan’s major
daily newspapers, where she engaged in original enterprise reporting and published several articles.
In junior year, she became a Communications Intern for the Committee to Protect Journalists, during
which her responsibilities included fact-checking for their Asia Division. Her initial Pre-Law years at
college resulted in a paralegal role post-graduation at an immigration law firm in Manhattan, where
she assisted attorneys with legal research, writing and analysis. Ayesha mastered the procedures for
F-1, H-1 and J-1 visas and facilitated clients in navigating the application process. Upon moving to
Singapore, Ayesha procured a role at UN Women as the editor for their newsletter. This opportunity
involved writing high-quality content on women empowerment and other activities related to
ending violence against women. Ayesha’s keen interest in writing also sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, which further led her to co-found an online start-up promoting businesses focused on products and
services for kids. She sold the company when she moved to Dubai and decided to focus on honing
her writing and communication skills by joining a digital marketing company as a Content Writer.

Meghan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics. While at university, she worked with the Wisconsin Special Olympics, headed international student support groups and provided private English tutoring classes for high school students in nearby underserved communities. She did her final semester in Spain where she delved into the field of education through teaching English as a second language to local students. After graduating, she moved to Brazil to teach English and study Portuguese, and served as a translator in the city of Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics. After returning to the United States, she managed the international student office at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, assisting both outgoing study abroad students and incoming international students. This served to deepen her understanding of international student life in order to better assist students transitioning both culturally and academically. She moved to Dubai in 2019 and worked as Director and Counselor in tutoring and supported students achieve their academic goals across various subjects and age groups. Her goal is to play a pivotal role in guiding students to reach their full potential and take advantage of the benefits of studying and living internationally.

Umey Aimen has extensive experience across counselling, development, and community activism. She graduated on the Dean’s Honor List, majoring in Social Sciences, and since then has worked across the UAE and South Asia to counsel high school and college students to universities including NYU, Baylor, Illinois Institute of Tech, and more. She worked as Program Manager for Stanford University founded by  Amal Academy as well, contributing significantly to the educational infrastructure in South Asia. Aimen is a feminist, a community organizer, and above all, passionate about helping students self-actualize and succeed.

Ukasha completed his undergraduate degree in Business with full-honors from the University of Manchester, UK. He then pursued his Masters Degree from Dartmouth College, US, on scholarship, where he served as an Honorary Admissions Ambassador and his public policy thesis was nominated for the Byam Thesis Excellence Award.

After having worked in an Assistant Instructor capacity at Dartmouth, Ukasha continued his work as an educator and counselor all over the world, including the UAE, China, and South Asia. His students have secured acceptances to Stanford, Columbia, Boston University (Trustee Full Cost of Attendance Scholarship), Tulane (Global Scholars Scholarship), Georgia Tech, Oxford, and others.

Gurkriti was born in Amritsar, India and moved to China at the age of 1. Growing up with an exceedingly multilingual, multicultural ethos and in the truest sense, one that encompassed borderlessness within borders, her upbringing developed her taste in fusion cuisines, in-betweens, and fluid identities. She gained fluency in Mandarin, English, Hindi, and Punjabi, all the more strengthening her roots to several homes. With wide-spanning interests including music, theatre, and international relations, her education served formative as an IB student from  elementary school to the diploma program.

Building on these connections, Gurkriti later pursued her higher education at NYU Shanghai, exploring business, math, economics, and political science, before moving on to becoming the institution's first graduate in anthropology. During her four years, she involved herself in endeavors such as the Reality Show—a performance comprising original skits and musical compositions derived by a 12-person cast over a summer in New York depicting life at NYU Shanghai to incoming freshmen. She furthered becoming an active member in the Office of Student Life as an Orientation Ambassador for incoming students and committed her time as a Writing Speaking Learning Assistant at the Academic Resource Centre to support students in effective academic communication. Gurkriti's most rewarding experiences were her study away semesters in Prague and Abu Dhabi, extending her focus in the social sciences to regions that she had not yet been exposed to, and opening up a myriad of opportunities including an internship at Greenpeace Czech. Gurkriti went on to write her senior thesis on the motives of Sikh involvement in the anti-CAA/NRC sentiment in India. As a consistent member of the Dean's List, she later received the Global Leadership Award and a golden tassel as an Honors Scholar along with the NYU Founders' Day Award upon graduation.

Gurkriti's shape-shifting experiences now pull her back to the UAE, another place she deems her (third, fourth, or possibly fifth!) home. In her free time, you will catch her yearning for a cup of chai and ready for a chat on climate change, Hindustani classical music, human emotion and cognition, perfume scents, and otherworldly affairs. With a deep desire to serve humanity, she hopes to contribute to making the world not only more tolerant of differing opinions but contribute to the lives of those less advantaged through a developing social and ethical consciousness in the field of business, non-governmental, and governmental organizations. Gurkriti hopes to hone a varied skill set in order to professionally channel what matters to her.

Born in Pakistan and raised in Dubai, Zoha completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology with distinction from the University of Calgary, Canada. While her time in Canada certainly included enjoying a great deal of ‘Timbits’, Zoha was heavily involved in educational and cultural activities on campus. She was a mentor for international students as part of the Student Leadership Program where she dealt out a great deal of advice and tips to freshmen. She was also a campus tour guide allowing her to interact with prospective students and parents and answer all their general queries regarding the university. Zoha was also involved with the South Asian community and served as the Vice President of the Pakistani Students Society at University of Calgary hoping to make the transition easier for all the international students away from home.

After graduating in 2021, Zoha moved back to Dubai and took up a six-month internship as a social media content creator for a local media agency. She then joined an e-commerce start-up in the same role briefly.

Passionate about helping others, Zoha prides herself on being a great listener. With her curious nature, Zoha has always been fascinated with how people interact with each other. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Born and raised in Italy, Giulia began enriching her education in 2012 when she moved to the United States. During her one-year program, she developed her interest in volunteering and a passion for the tourism industry. She later completed her bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano while participating in various volunteering projects around Italy and abroad. As she was contributing to the development of an English course for children living in rural areas of Sri Lanka, she reaffirmed her interest in the hospitality world. Giulia worked in the events industry, participating in the successful delivery of multiple conferences for non-profit organizations. She later enrolled in Les Roches Marbella to complete her studies in International Hospitality Management. After various opportunities in the European continent, she decided to move to Dubai, where she has been based for the past 3 years.

Jackson earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Human Biology with a double major in Media Studies from Emory University, where he received the full-ride RW Woodruff Scholarship and was a member of the Emory Scholars Program. He secured over $260,000 of merit aid across several scholarships, including the National Merit Scholarship, and was an AP Scholar with Distinction. During his time at Emory, he worked at the Emory Writing Center assisting students applying to university and graduate programs to create compelling essays. He was also deeply involved in the refugee community in Atlanta, Georgia as a summer school teacher and cultural liaison for newly arrived refugees. After graduation, Jackson taught English full-time at a private primary school in South Korea.

Born in Pakistan and raised in Texas and Dubai, Areesha began her multi-cultural journey at a young age. Her desire to travel and give back to her community led to her participating in unique opportunities during high school including a surgical internship at Aga Khan University in Karachi and an educational mission trip in Nairobi, Kenya.

Areesha studied Psychology and Business Administration at Baylor University, where she remained on the Dean’s List for all 4 years of college and received awards including the Student Involvement of Excellence Award and the McLane Scholars Grant. She was a member of the sorority Pi Beta Phi, along with the Psychology Honors fraternity, Psy Chi. Areesha studied abroad in London, England where she completed a Human Resources internship assisting large companies and neurodiverse individuals. Her other work opportunities included Marketing and Business Development roles at both small and large companies including a Big Four firm.

Luca holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Villanova University where he attended on a full athletic scholarship. As a student, Luca achieved Dean’s List every semester and earned the Big East All-Academic Awards during his last three years. He is currently completing his Master of Arts in Education at Eastern University.

Luca grew up playing for Manchester United’s soccer academy in England before he was recruited to the United States by the University of Pittsburgh Men’s Soccer team. After one year at Pitt, he transferred to Villanova University where he graduated as captain of the soccer team. Luca is currently serving as an assistant coach for Eastern University Men’s Soccer while working with Hale to support and advise student-athletes.

Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a Concentration on the Middle East from Louisiana State University. While in university, Alyssa volunteered in Palestine where she taught English and Dance at multiple refugee camps and village schools in and around Nablus. She has also volunteered as a Head Coach with Girls on the Run, a nonprofit girls empowerment program.