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Zainab Adenaike

Business Administration, BA
Africana Studies minor

Graduated in 2023

Zainab has always been interested in studying blackness and the African Diaspora. She was drawn to Northeastern’s co-op system, study abroad programs, and many degree options. As a Business Administration major with an Africana Studies minor, Zainab has been empowered by her educational experience at Northeastern to support economically disadvantaged peoples on their journeys to financial independence through the pursuit of her career goals.

Related Schools & Departments

Zainab’s Path

Zainab took Possession, Divination, and Sacrifice in the African Diaspora with Professor N. Fadeke Castor. Being from the culture, she enjoyed learning about Yoruba religion.

Professor N. Fadeke Castor

As a research assistant for the Sociology and Anthropology dept., Zainab worked in collaboration with the ADVANCE office to study how COVID-19 impacted the career path of female professors in STEM.

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

She conducted research with the International Affairs Program, studying Middle Eastern women and changes in educational opportunities throughout history.

International Affairs Program

For her first co-op, Zainab worked as a marketing assistant at the startup LearnLaunch Accelerator, a small venture capital fund that focuses on EdTech companies and provides accelerated programming.

Learn Launch Website
Sisters in Solidarity logo

She is passionate about her role as the Vice President for Sisters in Solidarity, the black women's coalition on campus.

SIS Facebook
Women in Finance banner

Zainab is also the VP of Marketing for Women in Finance, where she is a part of a community of women who share their experiences and accomplishments in business school and the WIF alumni network.

WIF
01/04/22 - BOSTON, MA. - Afternoon sun shines on Northeastern’s Boston campus on Jan. 4, 2022.

She graduated in May 2023.

Graduation
“The Africana Studies professors are some of the most generous, kind, and understanding faculty I have met at Northeastern. They understand where students are coming from, and they prioritize your mental health and overall wellbeing first. They make sure you are getting the most out of the course and getting a collaborative experience, rather than getting talked at. It is a more holistic approach to education.”

In the future, Zainab wants to get involved in the real estate field, as well as UX/UI Design.

More Student Paths

Charles T. Wallace-Thomas IV

  • Charles took "Sustainable Renewable Energy Development in the Global South" with Professor Shalanda Baker, which pushed him to further question systems as they exist, no matter their entrenched in society.
  • He did community service as part of the Ujima Global Leaders Program through the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. He worked on the Timebank team, helping give back to local communities.
  • Charles split his time for his first co-op between the Center for Economic Democracy and the Boston Ujima Project, where he analyzed studies on community needs, including infrastructure and childcare.
  • He was one of the co-creators of the #BlackAtNU campaign and advocated for racial literacy courses and a restorative and transformative justice center on campus.
  • Charles made his own research project- a macroeconomic index to measure democratic participation in municipal economies, partnering with NU, the Columbus Foundation and the Center for Economic Democracy.
  • He worked at the Participatory Budgeting Project as a Program Associate, helping city systems and other organizations actively decide how to invest money across different spaces.
  • Charles graduated in 2022. ..

Casey Greenleaf

  • Casey took Global Markets and Local Cultures. After traveling, she better saw how the coursework mirrored real life, and knew her education was preparing her for the world.
  • She went on a DOC to Argentina and Uruguay, and become highly proficient while living in Buenos Aires and visiting the glaciers of the Patagonia region.
  • Casey completed her first co-op at the Museum of Fine Arts as a community arts program assistant. She gained valuable hands-on experience assisting in arts classes for local communities.
  • She joined the Sociology & Anthropology Student Association during her third year. It allowed her to get to know her fellow students and mirrored the small school experience she loved.
  • Casey studied abroad in Nepal for her capstone thesis. She lived alone for a month while she researched and wrote about the lived experience of climate change in the lower Himalayas.
  • She worked for the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, founded by Professor Sarah Wylie. She produced promotional videos, developed a virtual research event, wrote event programming, and more.
  • Casey graduated in 2020. ..

Sunita Pfitzner

  • Sunita took Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection, taught by Professor Risa Kitagawa. The course invited students to question the motives behind acts of violence against governments.
  • She traveled on a Dialogue of Civilizations to Jordan and Egypt; while there she grew interested in Middle East politics and the Arabic language.
  • Sunita worked at the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney, Australia, where she analyzed data on the corruption of police forces in Mexico.
  • Sunita was a member of the International Relations Council and traveled abroad with the club to compete in Model Arab League, Model NATO, and Model UN conferences.
  • Sunita conducted research with Berna Turam, developing a greater understanding of the Mediterranean migrant crisis. She also researched the feminist response to Covid-19 with Val Moghadam.
  • She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022.
  • ..
Northeastern student Yasser Aponte works at The Food Project to help deliver fresh food to local communities in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Yasser Aponte

  • Yasser was in the Foundation Year program at Northeastern. The program was a rigorous deep dive into core subject classes that helped Yasser bridge the gap between his high school and college experiences.
  • He took Issues in Cities and Suburbs with Professor Erin Graves in Fall 2018. As someone deeply invested in urban life, he found the course was an enlightened look at the problems endemic to cities.
  • Yasser joined the Boston Beer Company as a Program Operations and Event Assistant for his first co-op. He worked on inventory, public relations, brewery events, and workspace organization.
  • He implemented community gardens all over Boston on deserted plots of land during his time as the Northeastern Campus Director for the campus’ United Nations Millennium Fellowship.
  • Yasser maintained a farm in Dorchester for The Food Project. He harvested crops, distributed produce through donations and food markets, and worked on overall logistics.
  • In 2020, Yasser won the Community Service Leadership award, given to students who show exemplary community engagement. He was recognized for his work at The Food Project, Northeastern Crossing, and more.
  • He graduated 2022 with his Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Religious Studies and his Master’s in Security and Resilience Studies, through Northeastern’s PlusOne program...