Abu Hasan Sajili (MPP/MA '26) explains why leadership coaching helped connect academic learning with real-world leadership. He reflects on developing his identity as a policy leader and how coaching offers guidance—not answers—so students can build confidence and lead authentically in practice.
Transcript:
Well, I think the leadership
coaching is especially
valuable for a first-year
student because it helps bridge
the gap between the
classroom and the real world.
You're figuring out your
identity as a policy
student, as a policy
leader you want to be.
And having a coach
means that you
are not figuring
it all out alone.
And I do think that more
students could benefit
from the program
because it's not about
being taught what to
do, but it's about being
guided to find your
own answer which is
exactly what leadership
looks like in practice.