By Saida Abdalla, Senior Program Manager, Emirates Leadership Initiative
As the academic year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the many moments that have shaped our time together—courageous conversations, shared meals, deep reflection, and spontaneous bursts of joy. This year’s journey with the Emirates Leadership Initiative (ELI) fellows has been nothing short of extraordinary. It’s difficult to put into words what it meant to walk alongside such a brilliant, resilient, and compassionate group of Arab leaders at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Each year, the ELI Fellowship brings together a small, deeply committed cohort of graduate students who are passionate about driving meaningful change in and with the Arab world. Our shared guiding question this year was: How do we grow as individuals and as a cohort to become more effective, principled public leaders in and for the region?
From the very beginning, this cohort met that question with courage, curiosity, and heart.
The curriculum, grounded in planful self-directed learning, reflection, a strong peer learning community, and mentorship, offered the foundation. But it was the fellows who brought it to life. Whether in our opening retreat, our skill-building sessions, or quiet late-night check-ins over WhatsApp, the commitment to learning and growth was constant. Fellows asked hard questions, pushed themselves and one another, and showed up with both vulnerability and strength.
Our work together this year centered around three core goals: building community, deepening self-awareness, and growing our collective capacity to lead with purpose and principle in and with the Arab world. Through every session, discussion, and shared experience, this cohort exemplified what it means to lead with both courage and compassion.
We’ve engaged with visionary leaders like His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal, who have helped us explore the evolving landscape of leadership in the region—and inspired us to cultivate the skills and mindset needed to lead with purpose and impact in our own communities. We explored the art of brave communication with Professor Tim McCarthy. Fellows organized and participated in impactful field-based learning experiences—one in New Mexico, focused on sustainable economic development, and another in Atlanta, exploring tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship. These trips reminded us that public leadership is always rooted in context—and that our impact must be both globally informed and locally grounded.
We celebrated Ramadan together through community iftars, supported each other’s personal and academic milestones, and gathered in times of both celebration and sorrow. We created space for real connection—especially during difficult global moments—reminding one another that we are not alone.
What moved me most this year was the way this cohort cared. Not just about their work and communities, but about each other. They uplifted one another, made space for difference, held space for grief, and chose to lead with empathy and presence. They taught us all that leadership isn’t only about taking the stage—it’s about making sure others feel seen, heard, and valued. This spirit of care extended beyond the cohort itself—our alumni community also played a vital role, offering mentorship, showing up for sessions and celebrations, and reminding fellows that they are part of something larger: a growing, intergenerational network of leaders committed to service, solidarity, and shared purpose.
Our closing ceremony, planned by the returning fellows in honor of our graduating students, was the culmination of all this: a joyful, heartfelt celebration of shared leadership, mutual care, and collective growth.
As someone who has the privilege of guiding and supporting this journey, I walk away inspired. These fellows are not only future policymakers, ministers, and changemakers—they are already leading, already shaping the world with intention and integrity.
It has been an honor to be part of this chapter in their story. And I can't wait to see the next one they write—together and apart.
The views and opinions expressed in this "Staff Reflection" article are solely those of the author and are not endorsed by the Center for Public Leadership.