Hazara first set her sights on the world as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas studying linguistics. With English and Spanish in her repertoire, she chose to study French and Korean too. As a senior, she moved to South Korea for a final practicum teaching English, and continued teaching for a few years after graduation.
“And from there I guess it's history. I lived my best life abroad and now I just want to continue and take part in the field [of international education],” she says.
Steinhardt’s master of arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs met her criteria for a graduate program that would offer hands-on experiences around the globe.
Hazara spent her 2023 winter break in Turkey visiting educational institutions and learning about their resources and processes for serving international students. And she hopes to have the opportunity to spend her 2024 spring break learning about more about international education in Ghana.
Back in New York, Hazara has sought community at NYU through her involvement with the Graduate Student Organization, which she serves as treasurer, and through an internship with the Office of Global Services (OGS). For OGS, she designed and led events and programs for NYU’s international students to aid their transition to NYU and NYC.
After graduation next summer, Hazara plans to travel to the city her parents left when they immigrated to the United States. “I'm going to Mexico City to reconnect with my roots and go through some of these restorative practices of healing from generational trauma, and learn a bit more about the history of migration,.” she says.
She will also be applying for positions at minority-serving institutions on the West Coast where she feels she can combine her education with her personal experiences.
“That is a very salient identity [for me] and I feel like I could give a lot back to my community.”
