Bridge Mentorship
Bridge mentorship program pairs 17 to 24 year-old mentees with mentors who are working in a professions of interest to the mentee.
In 2021, we paired 7 mentees with mentors in the fields of public service, journalism, law, medicine, and the arts!
Meet our 2021 Mentors!
Jibreel Jalloh serves as the Brooklyn Borough Advocate at the Office of the Public Advocate. His job is to identify local issues, then help formulate and implement strategies to resolve them. Prior, Jibreel worked on the Mayor’s Executive Team as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. He also served as an NYC Urban Fellow at the First Deputy Mayor’s Office, primarily focusing on education and criminal justice portfolios. Jibreel’s undergraduate experience at Baruch College was the genesis of his interest in public service. As the leader of multiple clubs on campus, he discovered a passion for organizing people around issues that matter. Jibreel is the proud son of Sierra Leonean immigrants.
Rowaida Abdelaziz is a national reporter at HuffPost, where she spearheads the coverage of Islamophobia and its intersection with politics, culture, and gender. Her notable works exposing anti-Muslim policies have led to the reunification of families and the reopening of hate-crime related cases. Her coverage of Muslim women continues to puncture stereotypical depictions of Muslims in media. Outside of her reporting, Rowaida travels the country and speaks on the importance of diverse media coverage of Muslim Americans.
Yasin Hegazy is a second-year associate at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City. He graduated from Princeton University in 2015, and from Yale Law School in 2019. While at Princeton, Yasin majored in Economics and served as President of the Muslim Students’ Association. He is a native of Seattle, Washington.
Shiraz Bheda is a first-gen college graduate with a strong interest in applying quantitative financial strategies in the field of genetic research. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics at Columbia Irving Medical Center. Previously, he was an Associate Manager at the Financial Technology Firm SS&C. Prior to that, he was a Senior Investment Analyst at Caxton Associates, a global macro hedge fund. Shiraz is currently pursuing his Masters of Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. He also holds a double major in Finance and Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ayesha Islam is research assistant for the Urban Institute, an economic and social policy research organization based in Washington DC. She previously served as a New York City Urban Fellow for the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), where her work involved designing scalable solutions for longer-standing small businesses struggling to withstand gentrification and ideating policy interventions to support Black entrepreneurs’ growth in the city. Ayesha graduated from Bryn Mawr College, where she studied Political Science, Middle Eastern Studies/Arabic, and Creative Writing. She is from Queens, NY.
Abdulrahman Alwattar is a third-year associate at Schulte, Roth and Zabel in New York City. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. While at OSU, he served as the Muslim Student Association president. At UPenn, he serves as president of the Muslim Law Students Association.
Dilber Shatursun is a Senior Digital Content Writer at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, a non-profit focusing on disaster relief, charity, medicine, education, and the arts. Previously, she taught ESL to college students and professionals, and has worked in documentary production as co-producer and host of the TV program, “US Tzu Chi 360,” as well as TV miniseries host, “Good Deeds Blossom.” She graduated from the City College of New York (CCNY) in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Film & Video Production, and minors in Spanish, French, and Fine Art. Dilber is especially passionate about helping others build confidence in their career and lives, navigate sensitive or peculiar challenges, and listen (or not listen to) one’s inner voice.
