Two SPHHP Undergrads Selected for SUNY Leadership Academy

By GRACE LAZZARA

Published September 22, 2020

Two undergraduate students in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, Sadia Rifah and Leah Maria Dsouza, have been selected to participate in the 2020 SUNY SAIL Student Leadership Academy. They are the only UB students selected to take part this year in the academy, which helps talented and committed students from across the SUNY system develop the leadership mindset and skills necessary to solve complex global challenges and be successful beyond graduation.

public health undergraduate Sadia Rifah.

Rifah is enrolled in the Undergraduate Public Health Program. She has been active in the Bangladeshi Student Association at UB, is a Red Cross volunteer who screens donors for COVID symptoms and is part of the team at a local Walgreens COVID testing site. Her goal in participating in the academy is to gain the professionalism and leadership skills that will allow her to help society.

Exercise science undergraduate Leah Dsouza.

Dsouza is student in the Undergraduate Exercise Science Program. She is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority and staffs the Student Union reception desk. She also founded and was the president of the Event Organizing Committee at Nexus International School Singapore, where she attended high school. Dsouza plans to put the skills she gains at the academy to use in physical therapy private practice and in working with people across various communities, nationalities and religions and how to inspire them to work towards a common goal.

The SUNY Student Leadership Academy program includes students from across the SUNY system and is part of SUNY’s SAIL Institute for Academic & Innovative Leadership.  Participants will take part in a series of live virtual webinars taking place on various days. By actively engaging in the SAIL Student Leadership Academy, students will:

  • Gain a better understanding of their own culture and identities as they relate to their peers, community, and the world;
  • Expand their personal and professional network, both locally and globally;
  • Learn and flex their skills of storytelling, and be able to articulate their story to future hiring managers.