Hi everyone, my name is Admera Khan and I am a transfer from Syracuse University studying the best two combinations, which I consider to be Politics and Spanish at NYU. I am currently a sophomore pretending to be a “real New Yorker” by living the life of a student/intern who thinks they understand how to use the subway, tries to be on time for class, and cooks their own meals. The existence of Generation Citizen did not reach me until I completed my second week at NYU. GC and I were formally introduced in my International Politics class; a chapter director told a short narrative about a way in which GC had made a significant difference in NYC public schools. I had no knowledge that an organization with such magnitude and ability to influence the youth could compel me to apply to a Democracy Coach.
I had never played the role of a teacher before, let alone presented my knowledge to an audience; for me becoming a Democracy Coach meant that I would have to step out of my comfort zone, which I had thoroughly protected for the majority of my life. I had predicted that the experience of my first day at Brooklyn Technical High School would equate to that of a nightmare or natural disaster. The exact opposite happened; my appreciation for the teaching profession increased twofold, and the purpose of GC no longer seemed insignificant or irrelevant to my life. As a DC I was quickly exposed to several challenges. I was required to learn how to communicate with my students and local community in an effective manner to create a sustainable project. The word “effective” seemed to become frequent in my discourse with my students because we believed that our project, which revolved around Participatory Budgeting, needed to be effective in order to increase student input in BTHS. When my class received an award for systematic impact, I was thrilled that my efforts as a DC reflected well on my student. Being a part of GC has led me to believe that our youth can have a sense of civic duty to make progressive changes that will continue to develop the student voice.
My interests and knowledge revolving around Generation Citizen escalated so significantly that I applied for my current internship as a program improvement intern. After observing how my communication and researching skills had improved during my time as a DC, I wanted to learn how I could become apart of the “behind the scenes” aspects of Generation Citizen. I had established my relationship and journey with GC by stepping out of my comfort zone and it has proven to lead to great things.