By Remy Niland
When Ali Mohsin Bozdar speaks, echoes of the shy boy of his youth reflect in his eyes as they look downward. But the way he leans in, like he was telling you the secret to his success, erases any doubt of his growth and resilience.
“Initially, I was not a good student,” Bozdar said. “I was pretty weak. I was not confident. And I remember that during my initial years, in elementary school, I could not even have the confidence to shake a hand, or see in someone’s eyes properly.”
Because of his father’s job, Bozdar changed schools multiple times, attending up to 10 different schools in three different cities in Pakistan. In middle school, he used to sit in the back of the classroom, and would spend most of his time alone. He didn’t understand things the first time they were taught to him, and received bad grades because of it.
When he failed his admissions test in sixth grade, Bozdar received some advice from his father that changed his perspective on education and how he approached it.
“My father said ‘Failure is your best friend,’” Bozdar said. “‘Keep on trying until you are failing, failing, failing. And remember that whenever you fail, just go back and see where did you fail? And just try to think how you can change it.’”
Thanks to father’s advice, Bozdar was able to “grow his mindset” and learn how to approach his education differently. He began asking more questions, and learned that there are multiple solutions to every problem.
As a Criminal Justice and Computer Science major, Bozdar stands out from his classmates because of the way he approaches his education. Knowing the difficulty of some of the classes he takes, he doesn’t shy away from asking for help if he doesn’t understand something right away.
“He is always extremely attentive and always asks good questions,” said James O’Brien, the Chair of Springfield College’s Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science. “He’s not happy with just nodding along and taking notes. A lot of times, when you look at him, he’ll refrain from taking notes so he’ll listen and absorb what the professor is saying.”
O’Brien, an Associate Professor, has instructed Bozdar in multiple courses since Bozdar joined the combined Criminal Justice/Computer Science program. He notes that Bozdar is a resilient student, and one who will work continuously to set himself up for success by asking questions and looking at things from multiple perspectives.
When he first arrived at Springfield, Bozdar had to look at his peers from another perspective in order to understand why they acted the way they did. He didn’t always understand at first why the students across the hall were so loud, or why the whiteboards would fill with lewd cartoons overnight. He tried to change his approach to understanding this new culture, while maintaining his core values, and his position as a role model and leader.
“In my culture,” Bozdar said, “it is common that when you are the eldest child, you are seen as the most responsible one, because you have the responsibility to take care of siblings and lead them, be a role model for them. So I’ve always tried to be that.”
As the eldest of seven siblings, Bozdar grew up with the responsibility of acting as a brother, caretaker and role model to his younger siblings, trying to push them in the right direction and help them succeed. This upbringing of valuing service and leadership led to Bozdar’s current level of involvement on campus, where he serves as a Global Mentor, is Co-President of the International Student Organization and is a resident assistant in Gulick Hall.
“[Bozdar] comes from a community and a family that highly value service,” said Heather St. Germaine, the Director of the International Center, “and so that being such a core component of Springfield and as well as the global mentorship program just made him a natural fit to be in that role and be really successful and make a big difference for our current group of these students.”
Springfield boasts about 120 international students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This year, St. Germaine hoped to have 25–30 new international students join their ranks, and succeeded. The Global Mentor program aimed to help these students adjust to life on campus and in the United States by pairing them with international students who act as mentors, forming a connection to make Springfield feel more warm.
The selection process for Global Mentors is competitive because of the organization’s goal to create these connections between students. Six students, including Bozdar, earned the coveted position of Mentor in the program. So few students are selected due to the uncertainty of how many international students will make it to the U.S. and Springfield College.
“Coming out of the pandemic, it’s been difficult to predict how many new undergraduate students will be able to actually get here,” St. Germaine noted. “There are still many difficulties in the visa process in many countries around the world. So while we know how many students have applied and plan to come, we don’t know until pretty late how many of them will actually get here.”
Because of his initial struggle in coming to Springfield College, Bozdar felt a deep connection with the Global Mentor program and how it will affect incoming international students. In his various positions with the International Center and as an RA, he works hard to create a better experience for international students and first-year students alike, trying to create a welcoming environment for these new students.
“He’s really friendly,” said Sophia Sares, one of Bozdar’s residents. “He’s very nice. He’s always checking in on us and making sure we’re all settled and that no one’s feeling anxious or anything.”
“I think that core of service and the depth of responsibility,” echoed St. Germaine, “that he feels to create a better experience for new international students is a core component of who he is.”
Since getting more involved with these organizations on campus, Bozdar has gained confidence and grown his mindset, something he set out to do from the start.
“My curiosity to learn and my curiosity to do broadened my limits,” said Bozdar. “I learned new things, new languages, new cultures, met different people, and it has allowed me to basically increase my involvement on campus.”
Though his experience in America has been difficult at times, such as deciding not to transfer at the end of his first year, his resilience and strength have helped him continue pursuing his goals and has increased his drive to succeed. By becoming more involved on campus and staying true to himself and his values, Bozdar has left a lasting impact on those around him, especially those he has helped welcome to Springfield.
“It’s the land of opportunities,” Bozdar said.If I am able to share myself, show my potential, and do my best, and always learn something new and try to improve, I will have something at the end of the day.”
Photo courtesy of Ali Mohsin Bozdar