Alumni Profile:
Sabina Sabados C’03
Sabina Sabados practices what she preaches. When she challenges students to reassess their goals and motivations and step outside their comfort zone, she challenges herself as well. On a recent leadership trip to Argentina, almost 2,000 feet up in the peaks of the Andes Mountains, turning back was not an option as Sabina waited to attach a harness to a wire stretched across a canyon. Canopying across the mountains, Sabina was a living example of trust, conquering fear, and “living today.”
The more you learn about Sabina Sabados, the less surprised you are that she teaches leadership on an international stage. Sabina herself immigrated to the United States from Slovakia in the 1980’s. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Drew in 2003, with a focus on International Relations and European Studies. She spent a semester at the United Nations, taking a class taught by Jean Gazarian, a member of the Secretariat since the United Nation's inception. Sabina also attended numerous international conferences including seminars in Paris and Iceland. She went on to earn her Masters degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, where her primary research interest was in International Organizations and the European Union. Sabina complemented her studies by participating in international programs in Luxembourg and Cyprus, focused on the institutions of the European Union.
As a student, Sabina participated in the Global Institute for Leadership and Civic Development (GILCD), an organization dedicated to providing new skills and opportunities for young persons to become active and responsible citizens in the global community. The program is geared toward undergraduate students from all over the world. Sabina went on to become a Student Coordinator and then a Director of the GILCD summer study abroad program in Cordoba, Argentina, teaching a class on the Philosophies of Leadership and Ethics and organizing the mountain canopying experience, which illustrates in a very tangible way that the qualities of leadership must be cultivated both inside and outside the classroom. In August, 2007, Sabina launched the “Back to You: Slovakia Tour,” an educational backpacking leadership development challenge, exploring the rarely-seen villages and towns of Slovakia and featuring a lecture by dissent philosopher and former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel.
For Sabina, solid leadership training includes everything from team-building exercises to self-exploration, from community service outreach to business development. Reflecting on leadership, Sabina states, “My greatest realization is that to be a leader does not mean you have to change the world. To me, to be a leader in your everyday life and to make small contributions to help others is what ‘great’ leadership is about. …Together, right now, we can inspire those around us to change the world for the better.”
It seems fitting that a woman who has spent much of her time traveling around the globe training future leaders should work for an international organization; works for the United Nations Secretariat in the Procurement Division. She has also been a director on the Drew College Alumni/ae Association since 2004, and serves as co-chair of the Undergraduate Relations Committee. Sabina has a keen interest in both the similarities and differences between cultures and the ways in which different viewpoints are incorporated into law. Sabina is currently working for the United Nations Secretariat but is still actively engaged with the programs of the Global Institute for Leadership and Civic Development.
