ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2025
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 60,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2025 on 7,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 290+ campuses worldwide (less than 5%) were selected to host the 4,500+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT ZAHIDA KAYNAT, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW AND CAMPUS DIRECTOR FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.
North South University | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Advancing SDG 5, SDG 10, SDG 4 & UNAI 6
" I am excited to be a Millennium Fellow because, as a teacher at heart and lifelong learner, I deeply believe in the power of mentorship to unlock potential. Many obstacles students face are not just environmental but come from the lack of proper guidance. I am passionate about promoting holistic education by equipping educators to tailor their support to each student’s needs. This is where true equity begins. Inequality may be inevitable, but fostering fairness and opportunity is what makes us humane. Through this Fellowship, I hope to advance this vision and create lasting change in education. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: SHONDHI-
SHONDHI- is a youth-led initiative born from a simple yet urgent idea: no adolescent should navigate puberty or sexual health in silence or confusion. In Bangladesh, discussions around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are often taboo, leaving young people vulnerable to misinformation, stigma and unsafe behaviours.
Our project creates safe, inclusive spaces for young people to learn about puberty, consent, and sexual hygiene. The name SHONDHI (সন্ধি), meaning “connection” and inspired by the Bangla word for puberty, ‘boyoshondhi’ (বয়ঃসন্ধি), reflects our mission to guide adolescents through life’s transitions with dignity while bridging communities across gender, age, and background. The hyphen in our name symbolises the link between growth and change—the bridge we aim to build for young people.
Through interactive workshops, peer facilitation, and toolkits, SHONDHI- equips adolescents with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills to make informed choices—ensuring that growing up does not mean growing up alone.
About the Millennium Fellow
Zahida Kaynat is socially conscious, forward-thinking, and a student at North South University, Bangladesh. Born in the United Arab Emirates and raised in Bangladesh from her teenage years, she holds a deep-rooted connection to the country she proudly calls home. Zahida is passionate about education, mental health, accessibility and equity, with a strong belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive.
Exposed to diverse cultures and lifestyles from a young age, her interests lie at the intersection of social entrepreneurship and technological innovation, where she creates inclusive and impactful solutions to real-world challenges. Like her name suggests, Kaynat — meaning "universe" — she holds the whole world in regard and advocates for its betterment through thoughtful action.
At heart, Zahida is both a teacher and a learner, finding joy in sharing knowledge, whether already mastered or still being discovered. She excels at identifying individual strengths and tailoring environments that help others feel both comfortable and empowered, making her a leader with a deep understanding of her team's essence. Zahida aspires to build systems that promote fairness, opportunity and lasting change through innovation and compassion.
