The National Sephardic & Mizrahi Leadership Cabinet

A national leadership cohort for undergraduate and graduate students ready to grow as leaders and learn alongside like-minded students from across the country.

What is the Leadership Cabinet?

The Sephardic & Mizrahi Leadership Cabinet brings ambitious undergraduate and graduate students from across the country together to learn, lead, and strengthen Sephardic and Mizrahi life on campus.

Across six virtual sessions during the academic year, members will exchange ideas, work through real campus experiences, learn from mentors, and develop practical skills they can carry into their campuses, careers, and communities.

The Cabinet also creates something that can be hard to find: a national network of students who understand one another’s experiences and want to build what comes next.

What You Unlock

Build practical, transferable skills you can use on campus, in your career, and in your community. Learn how to communicate clearly, lead with confidence, solve real problems, and turn ideas into action.
Connect with like-minded undergraduate and graduate students from across the country and build relationships that continue beyond the Cabinet.
Join small-group conversations with professionals across business, technology, healthcare, finance, law, marketing, nonprofit leadership, and more.
Cabinet members may be eligible to apply for additional funding to bring Sephardic and Mizrahi programs to their campuses.

Funding at a Glance

  
      Where You’re Starting
      Funding Opportunity
    
      Existing SAMi HUB
      Receive $250 per active Cabinet member, up to two members for a maximum of $500 in additional funding. This funding is separate from and on top of your HUB’s $1,000 annual allocation.
    
      Powered By SAMi Organization
      Receive $750 in annual funding when at least one member holds a Cabinet seat and maintains required participation. $750 is the maximum, and a second Cabinet member does not increase the organization’s funding.
    
      Unaffiliated Sephardic or Mizrahi Student Organization
      Receive $250 per active Cabinet member, up to two members for a maximum of $500 total. For unaffiliated organizations, this Cabinet funding is the entirety of the funding provided by SAMi.
    
      Interested in Starting a New SAMi HUB
      Receive $1,000 in guaranteed HUB seed funding to help launch Sephardic and Mizrahi life on your campus, with the possibility of receiving an additional $250 based on Cabinet participation afterward.

Who Is Eligible?

The Leadership Cabinet is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are already helping lead Sephardic and Mizrahi life on campus or are ready to help build it.

You may be a strong fit if you fit into one of the following categories:

A current leader or active member of a SAMi HUB
Leading or involved with a Sephardic or Mizrahi student organization outside the SAMi network
A Sephardic or Mizrahi student interested in starting or strengthening Sephardic life on your campus

You do not need years of leadership experience.

What matters most is that you are curious, engaged, and excited to be part of something bigger.

Apply to the Cabinet

How It Works

Apply

Submit your application by October 16 and tell us about yourself, your campus, and why you want to join the Cabinet.

2. Interview

Selected applicants will be invited to a short virtual interview between October 19–23.

Final decisions will be sent by October 26.

3. Hear Back

4. Join the Cabinet

Accepted members will meet virtually six times throughout the academic year. Each session will run approximately 60–90 minutes.

Save the Dates

Nov 1 · Dec 6 · Jan 24 · Feb 21 · Mar 21 · Apr 18

Dr. Steve Yusupov

Dr. Steve Yusupov is a dual-trained dentist and physician practicing full-scope Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery with advanced expertise in Head & Neck Surgery. Board certified by the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, he specializes in complex facial reconstruction, oral cancer management, and advanced dental implant procedures, and lectures nationally on implantology and head and neck surgery.

Meet Our Mentors

More mentors will be announced soon.

Michael Zargari

Michael Zargari is a Quantitative Analyst at Wells Fargo specializing in data science, machine learning, and financial crimes analytics, and a Judeo-Persian Documentation Assistant for the Jewish Languages Project. He co-founded the Iranian Jewish Student Association at UC Santa Barbara and received the 2023 SAMi Campus Revitalization Award for his work with Mizrahi and Sephardi Jewish communities.

Azi Yaghoubian

Azi Yaghoubian is an experienced periodontal hygienist with more than twenty years of practice, specializing in advanced and complex periodontal cases. A USC graduate and former clinical professor, she has dedicated her career to providing high-quality patient care and advancing her expertise in periodontal health.

Rozeeta Mavashev

Rozeeta Mavashev is the North American Executive Director of Masa Israel Journey and a longtime Jewish communal professional. She has been recognized for championing Mizrahi and Sephardi voices, including being named one of Jewish Week’s 2021 “36 Under 36” and becoming the first Bukharian recipient of the Wexner Davidson Scholarship Fellowship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apply Now

Yes. Multiple students from the same campus are welcome to apply. Final participation will depend on the Cabinet’s overall structure and cohort size.
The Cabinet will meet virtually six times throughout the academic year.
2026–2027 Session Dates:
- November 1
- December 6
- January 24
- February 21
- March 21
- April 18
There will be no heavy assignments between sessions. Members may occasionally be asked to come ready with an idea, question, or real campus challenge to bring into the conversation.
Each virtual session will run approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
Yes. Mentors and professionals from a range of industries will join select sessions throughout the year to share their experience, answer questions, and connect with Cabinet members.
Have a question? Reach out to Orr at orr@samiglobal.org