Nineteen undergraduate students from Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) have been selected for the prestigious Millennium Fellowship Class of 2025. The announcement for the semester-long leadership program, run by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the Millennium Campus Network (MCN), came on August 20, 2025.
The program brings together undergraduate changemakers to implement time-bound projects advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Fellowship runs from August to November 2025, providing leadership training, mentorship, and global collaboration, with Fellows submitting final impact reports to UNAI and MCN.
Globally, the Class of 2025 received applications from over 60,000 undergraduate students across 7,500 campuses in 160 countries. Of these, 4,000 applicants from 290 campuses were selected, representing a 7% acceptance rate. Bangladesh has 13 campuses represented with a total of 344 students. Selection emphasizes leadership potential, project feasibility, commitment to SDGs, and alignment with UNAI principles. Campuses were required to demonstrate institutional support and the capacity to host a cohort of 8–20 students.
The IUB 2025 cohort is led by Campus Directors Mubashwara Mehzabeen (Department of Economics, 3ZERO Club for Education) and Tanjil Sarkar (Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Her Future, Our Mission). Campus Directors received training in the last week of August 2025, covering leadership skills, project facilitation, and mentorship, preparing them to guide Fellows in project implementation from September to November. The Launch Session, scheduled for the first week of September, will begin with one-on-one sessions between Campus Directors and Fellows to review project goals, timelines, and MCN guidance.
The IUB cohort includes students from multiple schools and departments with projects addressing education, climate change, waste management, gender equality, public health, and community development.
The fellows and their projects are “Project VerdaLight” – Abdul Ajij Refat (English and Modern Languages); “Carbon Footprint Tracker” – Al Musfiq (Computer Science and Engineering); “Project Resilient Horizons: Climate Safe Communities” – Al-Mim Asha (Human Resource Management) and Fahad Ahmed (Environmental Science and Management); “Connecting through TechBridge and Knowledge” – Arman Uddin (Computer Science and Engineering); “Skillo Academy” – Asique Ahmed (Marketing); “Climate Change, Sustainability in Southern Bangladesh” – Hrishija Nanda Gain (Environmental Science and Management); “Blurred Boundaries: Humans and Street Animals in Dhaka” – Jarif Billah (Environmental Science and Management); “BloodBridge” – K. M. Ferdous Hasan Foysal (Life Sciences); “Book Giving, Winter Clothes Distribution, Ration Donation” – Karishma Jahan (Finance); “3ZERO Club for Education” – Lorna Maria Gomes (Economics) and Marjan Ferdous Tasbih (Finance); “Empower Education Initiative” – MD. Ajmal Mahir (Environmental Science and Management); “Dhaka’s Thinking Bins” – Md. Mohiul Alam (Computer Science and Engineering); “Project Bikolpo” – Mohona Rahman (Marketing); “Human Rights Concerns due to Waste Mismanagement and Pollution: A Case Study on the Climate Displaced People in Dhaka Slum Areas” – Mst. Jannatul Mawa (Law); “Literacy for All: Empowering Out-of-School Youth” – Syeda Manzila Hossain (Environmental Science and Management).
Campus Directors emphasized the purpose of the program as converting student energy into measurable projects. Mubashwara Mehzabeen highlighted the diversity and innovative approaches of the Fellows, while Tanjil Sarkar described the program as a global movement linking local initiatives to the SDGs. The Fellowship curriculum provides practical skills in project design, monitoring and evaluation, teamwork, public speaking, and fundraising, as well as access to mentorship, alumni networks, and institutional partnerships.
The program is designed to deliver local community impact through targeted interventions such as education drives, awareness campaigns, and waste-management pilots. Project outcomes will be documented for potential scale-up, institutional adoption, and further support. Fellows are expected to submit final reports at the end of November 2025, demonstrating measurable social impact and progress toward SDG targets.
MN/
