Afra Masud, a rising junior majoring in sociology and a Levermore Global Scholar, is the ninth consecutive Adelphi student to receive a yearlong Newman Civic Fellowship awarded to student leaders who are dedicated to making positive social change.
“I want to inspire people to take charge of their own lives and make the world a better place.”
That’s how Afra Masud describes her purpose. It’s a purpose that has guided her experience as a student leader at Adelphi, a podcaster and writer, and as a successful nominee for a prestigious Newman Civic Fellowship from Campus Compact.
As one of this year’s fellows, she will be able to connect with other student leaders from colleges and universities across the country. She’ll attend an in-person Convening of Fellows, take part in virtual events and work with a mentor to further develop her leadership skills. She’ll also have opportunities to present or publish work through Campus Compact.
For Masud, the fellowship is “an opportunity to learn more about the world and connect with like-minded individuals who want to change the world for the better. I’m looking forward to the many leadership opportunities that come with the program.”
Masud gets around campus in an electric wheelchair, undeterred by the rare genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, which causes her bones to deform and break easily. “My disability has never been a problem for me academically,” she said. “But socially, physically and emotionally, it has always been a struggle. Despite all of this, I’ve never seen my disability as a burden or an obstacle. It’s one of my many superpowers.
“It motivates me to make the world a better place, and reminds me to take care of myself and others,” she added. “Ultimately, my disability is the reason I’m able to do so much. It gives me perspective, hope, courage and a lot of empathy.”
A Voice for the Silenced
The Queens native’s journey as a Panther is fueled by her inherent understanding of others that she has gained through her own experience as a Muslim woman in a wheelchair. She started her podcast drama, The Ugly Princess, in order to be a “voice for those of us who have been silenced and to speak for the voiceless,” she has said.
Masud’s short story “Our Fallen Stars” was published this year in Dandelion Revolution Press’ Twisted Myths issue. “I wrote about a girl who was named after a star [because] her parents wanted a child who would illuminate the world,” she explained. “This is what a voice can do. Armed with education and love, I aspire to do just that.”
A Campus Leader, a Global Scholar
Masud also met the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult at the Writers & Readers Festival.
From the start at Adelphi, she has exhibited a commitment to leadership, community engagement and service, and academic excellence as a sociology major and psychology minor.
“Sociology and psychology are fields about people—how our world works and who we become as individuals are explained in many ways through both fields of study,” she explained.
“One thing that fascinates me the most is what makes a human being so complex and multifaceted,” she added. “This combination has allowed me to get more answers and find more questions about this topic.”
While she has presented the results of a research project on societal reactions to people with antisocial personality disorders and psychopathy at Adelphi’s Scholarship and Creative Works Conference, she also explores arts such as filmmaking, sculpture and storytelling.
A student leader, Masud is the secretary of Adelphi’s Levermore Global Scholars (LGS) program, which prepares students for leadership roles as global thinkers.
“The thing I value most about LGS is the way it has enriched my college experience,” she said. “The classes that I took for the program have truly changed my life and the way I think about the world. It’s a great experience and a big key to why I love my journey as a Panther so far.”
She has also worked at Adelphi’s Innovation Center as an ambassador supporting fellow students’ academic success, and has served as an Office of University Admissions event assistant.
Looking Ahead to a Career Helping Others
“Adelphi has taught me a lot about independence and what it means to act on your own values and morals,” Masud said. “I’ve done many things that I never thought I would do before, and I’ve learned how to do many things by myself that I didn’t know how to do two years ago. I believe that I have become more grounded and more able to appreciate the world that I live in.”
It’s a world full of possibilities. “I want to do many things after I graduate,” she said. “I want to go to grad school and become a psychologist. I want to give TED talks. I want to write books about humans and how we make our own world without really realizing it.”
As a Newman Civic Fellow, Masud will be well on her way to honing the leadership skills that will help her meet those goals—now and in the years ahead.