Mahnoor Misbah '14

by Brett H. Spielberg

Leadership is something innate to Mahnoor Misbah, a junior in Adelphi’s Honors College majoring in political science with a minor in English. She is active as a leader in multiple student organizations and works hard to be an engaged member of the campus community. 

The inaugural winner of the Community Fellows Program Intern of the Year Award, she spent this summer with Global Kids, a nonprofit organization that strives to empower urban youth and teach them the skills they need to be globally conscious individuals.

 “I knew I wanted to go to a small liberal arts college in New York that had a great political science department and Adelphi fit the description perfectly,” Mahnoor said. “I love the one-on-one attention you get from professors due to the small class sizes, how my classes allow for discussion and how there are so many opportunities to get involved on campus.”

From her first week at Adelphi she was a regular member of the debate team. This year, she’s the organization’s secretary after previously serving as the public relations officer in 2011–2012. 

“Debate has really given me the opportunity to think critically about some of the most importance issues facing our world,” Mahnoor said. “It has helped me think on my feet, construct compelling arguments and has increased my confidence speaking in public settings. The art of debate is so valuable, no matter what path you take in life.”

On top of debate, Mahnoor is a research assistant in the Department of Political Science. She was a student worker her freshman and sophomore years, but she was given the opportunity to do more substantive research this year, assisting professors with various subjects including immigrant’s rights, environmental policy and politics of the family.

A member of Amnesty International at Adelphi, she was selected to be a United Nations Youth Representative for the University. She also advocates to students through editorials in Adelphi’s only student paper, The Delphian, providing progressive political opinion and analysis on a regular basis.

“Adelphi really has lived up to my expectations because it has provided me with opportunities that I really don’t think would have been offered to me at other schools,” Mahnoor said. “The opportunity to intern through community fellows, the opportunity to research side by side with professors in the political science department and the opportunity to get a diverse education through the Honors College have been life changing for me.” 

After Adelphi, Mahnoor plans to go to law school. Unsure of what type of law she wants to specialize in, she knows that she wants to incorporate elements of human rights law into whatever she chooses. She would love to work with women from her home country of Pakistan, helping to empower them through the law.

“It’s been a privilege to be a part of all of these activities because they allow me to pursue my interests through a bunch of different mediums,” Mahnoor said. “I love writing editorials because I feel that college students desperately need some sort of platform to express their views in a constructive way and get their voice heard.”

Update: Mahnoor graduated from Adelphi with the Class of 2014. We are proud to now count her among Adelphi’s alumni.