Borders, Blue Skies, and Design Thinking: My Six Months with the Stevens Initiative

The Spark: Learning to Listen

My journey into global leadership didn't begin with a flight; it began with a single conversation across a screen.

Before the fellowship, I participated in Soliya's Global Circles, a virtual exchange program that placed me in facilitated dialogue with young people from completely different worlds, worldviews, and realities. That experience taught me something fundamental: genuine human connection, built across difference, requires us to step back and listen. It proved that a conversation across borders can quietly change a life.

That initial spark grew into a six-month learning experience with the Stevens Initiative Alumni Fellowship Academy.

Over half a year of virtual sessions, we didn't just learn about leadership in theory—we practiced it. Alongside fellows from across the United States and the MENA region, I grew to understand the nuances of cross-cultural communication. We sharpened our leadership skills and learned to navigate complex cultural landscapes. We discovered what it means to build trust virtually, finding common ground in our shared goals despite our different backgrounds.

The Transition: When the Screen Dissolved in Morocco 🇲🇦

The culmination of this six-month journey was our in-person workshop in Rabat, Morocco.

This was my first time ever on an airplane—my first time crossing a sky. Looking out that small window as we lifted off, I realized my world was physically expanding. But the real expansion happened on the ground, not because of the ancient medinas glowing gold in the afternoon sun, but because of the people I was with.

In Rabat, we put our virtual training into practice. Through a design thinking workshop in partnership with EFE Maroc, we worked on community-driven solutions to genuine challenges in youth employability.

This collaboration taught me several core lessons about social impact:

• Human-Centered Design: Real solutions cannot be created in a vacuum. We had to listen to EFE Maroc's honest, open feedback to understand the actual realities young people face, rather than relying on our own assumptions.
• Empathy over Theory: Guided by our mentors Khaled Salama and Cristian Rodriguez, we learned how to synthesize community feedback, iterate on ideas under pressure, and focus on the human side of innovation.
• Leading from Any Seat: I saw firsthand how leadership isn't about titles. My teammates Reem Samy and Lava Mohammed brought unique strengths that taught me how key it is to trust your team and value every voice.

To My Fellows — My Family

The most valuable thing I gained from these six months was not a certificate or a set of professional skills. It was a family.

We came from different places, different stories, and different languages, yet we became fluent in each other. We laughed in the same language. We stayed up too late talking about things that mattered. We showed each other who we really are, without armor. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

As we said our goodbyes, I was reminded of a quote:

"The harder the goodbye, the deeper the proof, that what you lived together was real."

My chest still feels heavy with it, but I hold onto that weight because it tells me the truth: what we built here is real. You are not just fellows. You are not just memories. You are family—the kind you choose, the kind that finds you when the world decides you are ready for them.

I love you. All of you. And I will see you again. I am promising myself this, the way you promise something to the sky when it is wide open and you believe, for once, in the impossible. Until that day, carry Morocco with you. Carry us with you. I know I will.

With all my heart,
Your fellow, your family, always.

P.S. Save me a seat at your table, wherever life takes you next.