As a way to promote the incredible work our Host Organizations are doing and to spread the word of the substantial impact Atlas Corps Fellows has on their teams. Today, we are sharing a story of the Northwestern University, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and their experience with AIF Banyan Impact Fellow Tabish (Class 46, India).
Northwestern University, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs
The Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University addresses critical global issues by connecting researchers and experts through collaborative teaching, research, and problem solving.
Fellow Supervisors: Patrick Eccles
At Atlas Corps, we have a tradition of stating our “Five Facts” when introducing ourselves to new people. What are your five facts?
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Name: Patrick Eccles Hometown: Chicago, IL Role at Organization: Sr. Associate Director, Global Engagement Programs Social Issue/Interest Area: Economic Justice/Fair Trade |
Why did you decide to host an Atlas Corps Fellow?
This is our third time hosting an Atlas Corps Fellow at Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Our partnership with Atlas Corps advances our goals toward internationalization and builds our capacity to design and implement meaningful and impactful global education programming. Each Fellow has enriched our work and broadened our perspectives while sharing in our efforts to foster ethical partnerships for global learning and community development.
Why did you choose Tabish as your Atlas Corps Fellow?
Tabish has a unique mix of experiences that are well matched for our community-based global learning programs. He’s had experience as a development worker and community educator and also with fostering global exchange with international youth in India. He’s also well organized and detail-oriented and demonstrates integrity, thoughtfulness, and humility in his collaborations with others. These qualities are also well aligned with the ethos of our collaborative work with students, faculty, staff and community partners.
How has Tabish developed professionally so far? How has his presence had an impact on your team’s dynamic?
Tabish has taken advantage of the various trainings and opportunities to connect with colleagues, centers and programs at Northwestern through his on-boarding process. Since arriving to Evanston, he’s already been running all over campus doing class visits, represented the program at the study abroad fair and taken on large projects like helping to build out the program brochures for various programs in our new study abroad application system.
How will Tabish’s contributions and insights impact your organization in the long run?
I expect that as we shift from advising and application review to program planning and implementation, Tabish will share a unique perspective on how we can bridge our work and collaborations with partners abroad and contribute new ideas and valuable insights as we think about developing new opportunities and programs. He’s already asking great questions and taking stock of the breadth of our efforts several months into his role as the big picture and nitty gritty connect.
What has Tabish taught you? Have you learned anything special about his culture?
Since Tabish has joined us in person, I started following Ap Dhillon on Spotify and have gained new insights on how Diwali is celebrated in India.
Fellow: Tabish (Class 46, India)
At Atlas Corps, we have a tradition of stating our “Five Facts” when introducing ourselves to new people. What are your five facts?
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Name: Tabish Bilal Hometown: New Delhi, India Role at Organization: Global Engagement Programs Fellow Social Issue/Interest Area: Education Fun fact: Boarded a wrong flight to a place 1500 kilometers away from my original destination |
What is your role at your Host Organization?
Manage global engagement programs, Student application management, Campus events planning, Program/Partnership Management, Student Advising, Curriculum Development, Alumni Engagement.
How is your experience with your Host Organization impacting your perspective?
Being part of a student facing office within a university my experience with Buffett has been enriching. It has changed my perceptions about how a large education institute functions and what we miss back home in India. More importantly it has shown me how important it is to work on giving opportunities to student to see themselves as global citizens. At a recent study abroad fair, it was a unique experience in learning about several such programs and how students can explore themselves which goes on to helping build more globally sound and empathetic leaders of the future.
How has your experience with your supervisor impacted your perspective?
Patrick has been a friend and a mentor more than a supervisor to me. It was an extended fall season for me because of the warmth I received from Patrick and all my colleagues at Buffett. With Patrick’s wealth of experience, he has been more than kind in extending that to me on various occasions during our class visits, campus outings and other events. I go back to a recent conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion where I learned about what it means in the US context and was left thinking of ways how I can incorporate that in the general discourse back in India.
How will you build upon the skills and knowledge gained during your Fellowship once you return to your home country?
I have always been big on peer learning and building a social capital through which I can gain numerous lenses to view the world. The knowledge sharing platform that the Fellowship provides is like no other. After having worked extensively in the recent years on bringing learning through travel into mainstream education, I am confident that experiences here will help me better understand the stakeholder landscape consisting of institutions, donors, parents, students.
What is your most important career advice for young, talented social change leaders across the globe?
I would want to share this quote by Jack Ma which is one of my favorites. Paraphrasing him here – “till the time you are 30, you don’t work for the company, you work for your manager.”n I believe focusing on building relationships with people you work for/with is equally important if not the most.
Apply to the AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship for service in the United States
Are you from India, between 27-35 years old, and interested in strengthening your professional and leadership skills? APPLY NOW for the AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship, empowered by AtlasCorps, for service in the United States! Participants of this initiative will build their leadership skills by getting hands-on experience in leading nonprofit organizations, corporations, private companies, and social enterprises in the U.S. while developing person-to-person connections to learn best practices.
The priority deadline is December 15 to be considered for opportunities in 2023-2024. Early applications are encouraged as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Visit aif.atlascorps.org
More about Atlas Corps
Atlas Corps partners with mission-driven organizations (nonprofit, private, and government) to facilitate a professional exchange program for the world’s best emerging social change leaders to live and serve during a 14-month, full-time Fellowship that begins remotely in their home country before transitioning to the United States. The Atlas Corps network currently includes more than 1,500+ professionals from 115 countries who have served at 400+ organizations.
Interested in becoming a Host Organization for an Atlas Corps Fellow? Fill out Host Interest Form.
