Raadiya Shardow is a junior at Gallatin studying public policy, economics, and social impact, with a Minor in Arabic. As the co-Leader for the First-Generation/Low-Income Partnership at NYU, she’s passionate about educational equity and building a community that centers belonging and advocates for equity and accessibility. She serves as a mentor for first-year Gallatin students of color through the AAP Mentorship program and the Gallatin Business Society and is currently a Global Equity Fellow at NYU Prague for the Spring 2022 semester. We chatted with Shardow to get to know more about her experience at NYU Prague so far and what she advises prospective Prague study away students!
This interview was conducted by Conor Brady and edited for length and clarity by Noran Morsi.
Conor Brady: How did you end up choosing to study at NYU Prague?
Raadiya Shardow: I’d heard so much about NYU Prague from so many people. I did the research; I was on Reddit looking up NYU study abroad locations. Then I was doing an interview for an internship and the interviewer was an NYU alum that had gone to NYU Prague and was gushing about it, years after. I had a few options, I wanted to get a truly global experience. I wanted to study abroad in Shanghai because it was in Asia, it was going to be a completely different culture. But after doing a lot of thinking and also considering the courses that I wanted to take, NYU Prague was the best option for me. They have a rich political history, they were both under Nazism and communism, interesting ideologies, and it was in Central Europe as well. It makes it so much easier to travel to wherever you want to go. I think my flight ticket to London was about 30 Euros, it’s insanely cheap, with an amazing location, and amazing culture.
CB: What has surprised you the most about Prague?
RS: The staff has been incredibly resourceful. I’m the Global Equity Fellow here, and I’ve been able to push forward so many initiatives and we’ve been getting so many things done. We implemented a serenity space for people to pray, meditate, and chill out. I asked about it the second week, and it was ready, with plants, pillows, rugs, and a nice ambiance by the third week.
In terms of Prague in general, I’ve never been outside of the United States so the whole experience surprised me. People will stare at you at the tram station. We don’t do that in New York. They have quiet hours, around 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM. It’s a different culture, and I love that I’m able to experience it, but it’s different than anything I ever expected.
The lack of diversity was shocking. I knew there wasn’t a lot of diversity here, but when you go and experience it for yourself, it’s so different. I think the diversity here is lacking. It’s understandable in terms of the history and the location but NYU Prague itself has been working hard to make students of color feel like they’re in community.
CB: I would love to hear more about your work as a global equity fellow.
RS: I’m Muslim, and there aren’t a lot of Muslims here in Prague. Prague’s not religious at all. Even the architecture is not based on religion, which is interesting, and a stark contrast to many other European cities, but the architecture is beautiful. Apparently, Czechs have an aversion to religion because in the past there was a big religious war that was not good for the community. And so a lot of Czechs here don’t know a lot about different religions and specifically Islam. So as a global equity fellow, I’m going to be giving Middle Schoolers a presentation on Islam and Ramadan because it’s Ramadan right now.
We’re also hosting an Interfaith Iftar next week to talk about other fasts from other religions as well. We did a few things for Black History Month. We went to the National Gallery in Prague and amazingly, this year was their first time having a Black History Month exhibit. I’ve been supported so much by this staff and by other students that are interested in furthering diversity and inclusion efforts at NYU Prague, it’s not just me.
CB: I was wondering what it’s been like to be in a former Eastern bloc country during the Ukraine-Russia war
RS: Immediately, there were a lot of protests and some students who were nervous about being in such proximity to the war. I don’t feel like we’re that close. But outside of those negatives, the community has gotten together to help Ukraine. I went and helped create Bulletproof vests for Ukraine. Some people are doing bake-offs to send food to shelters and organizations that are serving these communities. I love the amount of work and support that people are doing here.
CB: What have you enjoyed most so far with your experience in Prague?
RS: I love my classes. Two of my favorite classes are “Modern Dissent in Central Europe: The Art of Defeat” taught by Prof. Jan Urban, it’s a Gallatin class, and “Travel writing” by Prof. Veronika Bednarova. Both of them are very knowledgeable about their fields. And with travel writing, I can call myself a writer now because of that class.
With “Modern Dissent”, Prof. Urban lived during this period, he was a dissenter and led the Civic Forum movement he helped found for a couple of months before stepping down, he had fascinating stories and he would share those stories in class. We get to experience this oral history from someone who lived through it and fought against the regime. It’s unreal. The professors here are amazing. Professors will also encourage people that are not even in their classes to join on excursions sometimes, which is pretty awesome.
Prague is also super cheap here compared to other cities like New York and Paris. Even though it’s a city, it feels very homey. I also like the NYU Prague community, even though things are going on, the community here is nice and welcoming.
CB: What’s been a typical day in Prague?
RS: I go to class in the morning, I usually get some lunch after with some classmates. I have a meeting with Yveta Kenety (Assistant Director for Student Life) once a week, because I’m a fellow. We talk about things that are going on and events that we want to put on.
Afterward, sometimes I go to an opera or a gallery and then I’m home for my Arabic class online. I don’t recommend people that are studying away to take online NYU NY-based courses. They told us in the very beginning to try not to live two lives. You won’t enjoy either one fully!
CB: Do you have any advice for Gallatin students thinking about studying away at NYU Prague?
RS: I think Gallatin students are already like this, but be open. Because of the cultural differences, you can’t take anything too personally.
Even though it’s not a diverse place, it’s still relatively welcoming. I don’t think I’ve experienced a lot of racism here, but I have experienced microaggressions.
Travel, but don’t feel pressured to travel. This specific experience might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but don’t feel pressure to pack everything into such a short time. At the beginning of the semester, after being quarantined, I went to London, multiple cities in Morocco, Lisbon, Paris, and more. However, that can cause one to burn out quickly.
Don’t forget to create a budget! Learn a few words in Czech to get around. A lot of people here speak English fluently but it’s nice to not have to rely on Google translate for basic interactions.