Narjis Haider | Computer Sciences

My name is Narjis, and I was one of the first students to join AUIB when it first opened its doors in 2021. I want to tell you about my story and how I developed as a person after I joined AUIB.

Since elementary school, people described me as an introvert. My teachers would call my mother to tell her how worried they were about me because I didn’t talk or play with other kids like everyone my age did. Back then, my parents thought that I would change as I got older. However, as the days passed, I entered middle school and then high school, and things kept getting worse. I didn’t know how to make friends or even how to communicate well with my peers. Whenever I found myself talking to someone, my voice would vanish and start shaking. A lot of people would tell me that my voice wasn’t clear and to repeat my words over and over again. I used to be a good student with good grades; however, if the teacher asked me to explain something in front of the class, I would forget how to breathe normally out of nervousness. That continued after I joined AUIB. Fortunately, I started with ELA. We were a small group of students with two specific instructors. Still, my anxiety kept me away from making any friends for the first two ELA levels I took. That continued until my first UG semester, Fall 2021.

In that semester, I started hearing about the Student Life department. I wondered what its job was and what the work of Dr. Jaye was. I started passing by and asked if they needed any help with anything. I found it a great opportunity to gain some skills while practicing my English. After each class and during every break I had, I went to the Student Life office and offered help with anything. I would just sit there and cut some paper or organize some papers. I would get nervous if anyone talked to me, so I just sat quietly. However, Dr. Jaye would open topics with me and talk to me about different topics. Even when she was busy, she would engage me in a nice, friendly conversation. At that point, my confidence was so low; I would talk slowly and translate a lot of stuff that she said, and I didn’t understand. Then I finished my finals for that semester, and I went to the office of Student Life to help as usual. I noticed they were preparing for something. I found out they were preparing for the New Student Orientation. It didn’t mean anything specific to me, but it was more thing to help with, so I was kind of glad because I really enjoyed working and helping around. And just for the sake of help, I ended up coming to the university almost every day during my winter break after I finished my final exams. Every day, tired or happy, I would attend and help and feel happy for helping.

Then the break was about to end, and I reached as far as organizing the volunteers for the New Student Orientation. I also volunteered, of course, but what I didn’t expect was for Dr. Jaye to ask me to be the volunteers’ leader. I wasn’t confident that I could do it, but she trusted me and pushed me to be the leader that year. That Orientation changed my life. I was responsible for 40 volunteers for 6 days. The orientation went smoothly, with some problems here and there, of course. I myself was surprised that I could handle such an event, especially with my weak social skills and low voice. But my voice wasn’t low during that Orientation, nor were my social skills. My position as a leader pushed me to talk and to collaborate with people to level up to the responsibility I was holding and to make that event succeed. I think I did a good job back then; this year, I was chosen to be the leader for the New Student Orientation for the third time in a row. Every one of them I worked with 40-60 volunteers, including our club volunteers and working volunteers.

I led the Orientation for three years, but that wasn’t all I did. I worked in the Student Life department for three semesters as a work-study student. I joined SAB for two semesters, organized student competitions, festivals, awareness about health, and many more activities. In addition to that, I was one of the MCs for the last Orientation and talked in front of more than 150 people without being scared, with a smile and a big voice, while at the same time leading and supervising all of our 50 volunteers for this year. And now I’m a member of GDSC (Google Developers Student Club), and just last week, we organized the biggest technology conference in Iraq for this year.

My friends describe me today as a confident and outgoing person. As a good speaker and a funny person. AUIB and the Student Life department changed my life completely. If I’m able to laugh today, make friends, and be called a leader, it’s thanks to all these activities that were designed by our university, and specifically by the director of Student Life, Dr. Jaye. She was and still is my mentor and my role model, and the person who guided me to develop myself and become the person I am today.

That was my story. I’m a student at AUIB, and I will be forever grateful for coming to this university.