Jayson Browder, PCS ’13, and Mohamed Sweify, S.J.D., LAW ’21, were both included on the list of people “shaping the present and future of U.S.–Middle East relations,” according to the council, which aims “to contribute to American understanding of the political, economic and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East.”

Browder, a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is the founder and chairman of Veterans in Global Leadership, a nonprofit that provides executive-level leadership development programs for veterans. Previously, he was an assistant dean at New York University Abu Dhabi, a presidential management fellow at the White House, and a military adviser to former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke.

“I’m truly appreciative for being recognized among such inspiring individuals who are committed to building better relationships between the United States and the Middle East,” Browder said. “Fordham has been an integral part in this journey of mine, as I earned my Fulbright scholarship to Turkey while a student at Fordham, which I’ll forever be grateful for.”

Sweify is a bilingual, dual-qualified attorney in civil and common law with expertise in both Egyptian and U.S. law. He is a co-chair and executive member of the International Dispute Resolution Committee and an executive member of the Domestic Arbitration Committee at the New York State Bar Association. Sweify has taught and been a guest speaker on Islamic law at Fordham Law School, and while studying, he was on the student advisory board of the Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work. Before joining the S.J.D. program at Fordham in 2017, Sweify practiced international arbitration in an international law firm in the Middle East and then joined the financial crimes department of the Egyptian public prosecution office.

“Fordham Law has enabled me to bridge the gaps between the United States and the Middle East,” Sweify said. “As a civil and common law legal practitioner and scholar, I tried to bring the advantages of both systems through Fordham’s message in advancing the legal practice. This award could not have been obtained without my work at Fordham and the support I have had from its administration.”

The Middle East Policy Council, founded in 1981, publishes the quarterly journal Middle East Policy, hosts the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policymakers and their staffs, and performs national outreach for students, educators, and civic leaders.

Two Fordham students were among a group of veterans who rang the closing bell on July 5 at the New York Stock Exchange, commemorating the launch of the NYSE Euronext’s Veterans Associate Program (VAP).

Jayson Browder, a rising senior at Lincoln Center, and Manuel Aguilar, a rising senior in the Gabelli School of Business, are among 15 student veterans who comprise the first cohort of the VAP, an internship program specifically for veterans.

The eight-week program provides the interns with specialized training and experience in the financial services industry in order to equip them for future employment.

“The program places us in private round table discussions with senior executives from the NYSE’s different departments for executive educational series,” said Browder, an Air Force veteran now double-majoring in sociology and Latin American and Latino studies. “This gives us the opportunity to network and learn form the best and brightest.”

Browder, who is working in the NYSE’s Corporate Communications and Media Relations Department, said that he has already gained invaluable professional experience during his internship.

“We’ve been given the opportunity to showcase our professional skills learned from the military and gain new specialized competences at the highest levels in the financial industry,” said Browder, who is working toward a public affairs career in the financial industry.

Aguilar, a veteran of the Marines studying public accounting, said that program teaches both technical and interpersonal skills critical to the industry.

“The NYSE VAP has reinforced my decision to go into accounting and financial services,” Aguilar said. “I’ve realized there are many opportunities available within the industry—it all depends on how you decide to apply your skills.”

The program was launched in July in response to startling unemployment statistics—the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for veterans ages 18 to 24 averaged 30.2 percent in 2011, compared to the 12.7 percent among all veterans, and 7.7 percent for civilians.

The VAP is designed to draw on the skills that veterans developed in the military in order to prepare them for their careers.

“Our heroes returning home from military service can also be stars in business, as their training, skills, and discipline translates extremely well to the private sector,” said Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext. “Through our Veteran Associate Program we are trying to help aid this transition by providing a truly unique learning experience about our company, financial markets, and the business community.”

Jayson Browder and Manuel Aguilar are two of the 15 student
veterans comprising the first cohort of the VAP.
Photo by Michael Dames

— Joanna Klimaski