Reham Abdunabi (B.A., ’24) is about as “CSU” as you can get. Since she was five, she’s called Fort Collins home, and her earliest childhood memories are of having on-campus lunches with her parents – Ilham Hbaci (M.S., ’10) and Ramadan Abdunabi, (M.C.S., ’10; Ph.D., ’13) – as they were pursuing their degrees in computer information systems and computer science, respectively (her father is also a recipient of this year’s Best Teacher Awards). Even now when she’s walking across campus she can’t help but think of the excitement and pride she felt watching her own parents walk across the commencement stage.
But there’s more to Abdunabi than her parent’s legacy because in between majoring in political science and minoring in international development and legal studies in the College of Liberal Arts, Abdunabi has worked tirelessly to foster community, build relationships, and make herself and her University better. That’s why Abdunabi has been named the 2024 recipient of the Albert C. Yates Student Leadership Award.
Named in honor of Albert C. Yates, who served as the 12th President of CSU from 1990-2003, the award is meant to recognize a student who “demonstrates strong involvement, leadership, and a commitment to upholding CSU’s values, traditions, and spirit.”
“It was very unexpected. I was in the middle of a meeting when I got the email and was like…what?” Abdunabi said with a big smile when asked how it felt to be receiving the award. “I never worked with that in mind because it’s always been about bringing people together. I’m happy and proud, but what’s super exciting is that this lets me highlight the communities I’ve worked with, especially the Student Diversity Programs and Services.”
While Abdunabi has many achievements that make her worthy of receiving the Yates Student Leadership Award, including being a Blake Scholar; serving as the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center (AIPACC) Senator for the Associated Students of Colorado State University; being an Arabic translator for Lory Student Center employees; being a student speaker at CSU’s Symposium for Inclusive Excellence; and serving as a student representative of the CSU Presidential Search Committee (among many other accomplishments), the role she is most proud of is helping start and then leading the Southwest Asian North African (SWANA) student organization.
Being someone with Libyan heritage who practices Islam, Abdunabi said it was hard to find an organization that was there to specifically support her community. Added to that are the broad, often negative, stereotypes about Muslims and the Islamic religion. The true college experience, Abdunabi added, is about understanding your identity, finding your community, and sharing your life experiences with those who are different, and that’s why she dedicated herself to getting SWANA up and running.
“Even with the cultural centers on campus, I wasn’t sure where I fit in, but I knew [the Islamic/South West Asian North African] community was there. Through the APACC, when I was doing some SWANA-related work, we were able to get two SWANA student positions and a fulltime SWANA employee and, with the help of my manager Hiba Abdeljalil, have the City of Fort Collins proclaim April as SWANA Heritage Month, which is something that has never been done before in Fort Collins history.” Abdunabi said.
Additionally, Abdunabi helped organize an Iftar – the meal that Muslims eat to break their fast during Ramadan – at the Smith Alumni Center. About 600 people attended that event to not only share a meal, but to learn about Islam, Ramadan, and connect with the SWANA community.
“By highlighting the beauty of our culture, we’re able to show how our differences can bring us together,” she said. “A lot of people want to learn and understand, and it was really cool to see all kinds of different ages, cultures, and people come to the event.”
Second to that achievement, Abdunabi said, was the work she was able to do as a Senator for the ASCSU, specifically her co-sponsorship of a bill that would help her college peers be physically ready when it was time to interview for a job.
“When employers would come on campus for career fairs we would get feedback from them saying the students were prepared, but not dressed well. That was hard to hear, so I co-sponsored a career attire bill.”
The bill, which was unanimously approved, allocates $20,000 so Abdunabi and her co-sponsor could purchase more than 350 pairs of men’s and women’s pants and 150 dress shirts, as well as t-shirts, belts, and camisoles. That effort is maybe what describes Abdunabi best because when asked what leadership meant to her, she said it was listening to people and then taking action.
“I think students can feel like it’s hard to make change, but the University is here for students and will listen to our voices and let us make an impact,” she said. “If you have a need or a goal, work toward it, build a community, and you will be able to make change.”
That sense of listening, understanding, and compassion comes directly from her parents, Abdunabi added.
“My father always taught me, ‘less talking, more working,” and both my parents are my biggest inspiration,” she said. “[They taught me] you won’t feel a part of a community until you get involved. When you do, you build friendships and relationships and that’s how you build change.”
Looking ahead, Abdunabi is hoping to take her leadership skills and desire to build lasting and impactful change to law school to pursue international law. Her ideal job is either with the government or the United Nations where she can advocate for the underrepresented and give a voice to the voiceless.
For now, she’s relishing her last few months on campus as a student and is always ready to cheer on the Rams and offer advice to younger students who look to her for inspiration.
“Get involved. I can’t highlight that enough,” she emphasized. “And don’t forget to attend campus events like the Symposium for Inclusive Excellence, World Unity Fair, and award ceremonies. It’s really beautiful to see the work other people are doing.”
