uMentor Talk Show: Recent Episodes
Umoja Outreach
Husain Jaffer was born in Queens, New York and has lived most of his life in Orlando, FL. He completed his MBA from Crummer Graduate School of Business and his undergraduate degree from Rollins College, majoring in International Business and minors in Economics & Spanish. His career has ranged from working for a private real estate firm, being a business owner, to his current role as a real estate appraiser analyst for Orange County, Florida. His roles outside his career included leading the Who is Hussain Orlando Chapter, leading Outreach efforts for a local Islamic center, Principal for IEC Academy, Assistant Principal for Ark Academy, and being the Director for the Central Board of Education in Orlando. He has worked on projects such as a career mentorship program pairing working professionals with aspiring students, developing a robotics camp, organizing family camps, and many other endeavors for the sake of God. He hopes to continue making an impact on the community before departure.
Dr. Iqbal Jaffer is currently a staff cardiac surgeon and the program director of the cardiac surgery residency program at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. During his undergraduate education, he switched from life sciences to religious studies at McMaster University. He went to medical school in Australia, but then decided to return to Canada for residency. Dr. Jaffer took a break from residency to complete a PhD in Medical Science. He completed residency in 2019 and began his role as a staff surgeon. Earlier in 2022, he became an Assistant Professor of Medicine and the program director of cardiac residency at McMaster.
Raza Padhani is currently a software engineer at a logistics-focused technology company. Prior to his current role, he worked as a software engineering consultant, and prior to that, he worked in supply chain and operations. He graduated from The University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. In his free time, he volunteers on the scholarship committee for Seminole State College of Florida to empower more students to obtain an education. He also enjoys playing racquet sports and golf, and practicing improv.
Marcus got his first role coaching when he was 14 years old, working at a summer camp for 6-10 year olds. Through this experience, a love of sharing his knowledge and working with kids was kindled, and every summer since he worked some sort of summer camp or enrichment class. He is currently in his 4th year of a 5-year program, studying to get a BA and MA in Education and a California teaching credential for Math. He also works as a Physical Education (PE) coach and substitute teacher at City of Knowledge, a K-12 Islamic school in Pomona, California and is a volunteer basketball coach for Claremont Youth Basketball. He credits the adults in his life who made him feel seen and heard for inspiring him to do the same for the younger generations and hopes his work can serve as an expression of gratitude for those that have guided him.
Fatema Masuma Alidina is a 4th year nursing student at Ryerson University. She is currently completing a placement in a cardiology department in Toronto. She is also a research assistant under a professor of community nursing, studying the role of health promoters at primary schools in African Francophone countries. Outside of school, Fatema is co-president of Ryerson’s Thaqalayn Muslim Association, a student-run organization predominantly catering for the Shi'a community on campus. Fatema plans on working as a clinical nurse, with aspirations in public health as well.
Fatima Alaeddine completed her Bachelor of Nursing at Laurentian University and then did a Master’s in Health Care Quality Improvement. She worked in the emergency department as a front line nurse, followed by a role as Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator where she managed and coordinated medical research with doctors. She is now a Nurse Officer in Charge at a mental health hospital. Her love for learning about Islam has led her to creating an Instagram page called @ShiaResources where she shares books, scholars, charities, social media pages, YouTube channels, businesses, and more. The goal of this instagram page is to help the community easily find resources and educate themselves about Shia Islam. In her free time, Fatima loves spending time with family, being active in the community, and going for hikes and walks in nature.
Having grown up with an affinity for science-fiction and a curiosity about all things that move, Manal Makki pursued a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in Biomedical Research investigating cryopreservation with cancer cells. In parallel, she gained co-op experience in 3D Printing and engineering plastics. After graduation, Manal has worked for a few years in the automotive industry, designing the interiors of cars. This includes supporting their development from the digital phase, using 3D drawings, and traveling to manufacturing plants to support the physical phase right on the assembly line. Manal is deeply interested in design inspired by nature and innovation that is harmonious with the world around us.
Mateen Manek is a filmmaker and writer based in Toronto. He studied communications at York University, and holds a certificate in teaching ESL. In his past, he has taught ESL, written poetry, and made short films for YouTube. In 2019, Mateen founded The Curious Society, a video production company. His work is very story-focused and intentional, and strives to create authentic and impactful films. He is passionate about capturing stories with themes of creativity, being human, and love (the latter through his wedding films). Outside of work, Mateen loves movies, coffee, and writing. Mainly the coffee, though.
Zeinab Zreik's love for teaching has been embedded within her since she was a little girl in Elementary School. She attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn and became a teacher, and currently works at Great Revelations Academy (GRA). Working with kids has always been something Zeinab wanted to do, and she is grateful for the opportunity to be able to shape the little minds that will become our future. She appreciates that she is able to combine her love for teaching and creativity in an Islamic school such as GRA, where the foundation of all subjects begins with Allah. This is Zeinab's 6th year as a leader with Al-Mustapha Girl Scouts, and she is honored to be a part of such an organization that allows her to be a part of building their courage, confidence, and character as Girl Scouts, and serve a role model to these little girls in an Islamic environment. Zeinab's imagination as a young girl was always super wild, so she began creating and started baking at 15 years old, and has been creating ever since.
Dr. Hossein Jarrahi is an Associate Professor of Information Science at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He completed his undergraduate studies in Public Administration in Iran, where he worked in web development as a side passion. Aiming to combine public administration with web development, he pursued the field of information systems at the London School of Economics.
At UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Jarrahi researches and teaches about the role of information technology in organizational contexts. Dr. Jarrahi’s research also examines the adoption of artificial intelligence in shaping and managing knowledge-based work practices.
Dr. Kirmani is an enthusiastic technologist, researcher, and public Speaker, and has a diverse professional background working with Fortune 500 firms, in sectors as diverse as Finance, Pharmaceuticals, and Consulting, most recently working as a Data Scientist in the Defense & Space sector. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Dr. Kirmani received his Bachelors's Degree in Economics, Math & Computer Science from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2012, then completed his Master’s in Engineering from UCF in 2015. He is active in the community, having served on multiple management committees, as well as teaching & mentoring at various institutes. He is a co-founder of the Ahlul-Bayt Society at UCF, and served as President and Vice President of the Society. He has traveled throughout the U.S. & U.K. as a lecturer for the past 11 years. Dr. Kirmani has a Ph.D. in Engineering from UCF.
Hussain Ali Naqvi is a third-year student at the University of Waterloo, with experience in working with the Government of Canada at various levels of the healthcare system as an analyst. He is an aspiring physician with publications on dementia, telemedicine, and the integrative healthcare system in Ontario, Canada. He’s worked for the Canadian provincial government and the federal government in health policy analysis, health research, health data and system-level decision making. Hussain also operates in healthcare innovation, where he works with a team of medical experts, students, and researchers in designing new 3D medical technologies, and clinical decision software through data science and machine learning.
Hussain's next step is medical school, where he seeks to enhance his medical specialization and implement further innovation into healthcare technology operations.
Bushra Tahan studied Chemical Engineering and did 2 years of cooperative education (co-op) programs before graduation. She worked for 8 months in the cosmetic manufacturing industry and 4 months in a water treatment plant. She then spent 1 year in a vaccine manufacturing company. She currently is an Engineer-in-Training at Sanofi Pasteur, where she works with Preventative Maintenace Technical Services.
Ana Ali is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Education, with a minor in Politics. Ana is an executive team member of both the Islamic Masumeen Center of New England and Taha Collective, two non-profit Shi'a organizations based in the Boston area. She has spent the last 5 years working with MOVE, an organization that seeks to empower young women to create social change through the development of self confidence and leadership skills. Ana is currently applying to law school to pursue her career interests, which include immigration rights/policy, women’s rights, and overall promoting diversity and inclusion through the advocacy of marginalized groups.
Fatimah Bazzi holds an MBA from Lawrence Technological University and has a TESL certificate. She is passionate about teaching and educating young Muslim children about the beauty of the religion of Islam, especially through the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them). For this reason, Fatimah writes children's Islamic books. She has published "Muharram Nights" and "Mila Wears the Hijab". She is excited to see that her books are aligned with her purpose, and children love and continue to benefit from them.
Fatimah is a mother to two wonderful kids, Tia and Ali.
Sabah Hashmi is the founder of Sabah’s Corner, a blog that strives to support the rapidly growing number of fellow Muslim parents navigating parenthood in the west. Born and raised in Canada herself, with a masters degree, she turned to blogging to address this gap once she herself became a mother. In her blog, you will find a curated list of easily digestible topics that are thoughtful and well researched; often including references to hadith (prophetic traditions), evidence-based science and even some fun humour! She covers a vast range of topics, including pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, language, religion, and spirituality. The blog is also home to many practical resources, tools and product deals designed to make things just a little easier for western-Muslim parents. To subscribe to Sabah’s Corner and receive exclusive offers, click here (www.sabahscorner.com) or follow the blog on Facebook @sabahcorner.
Sabah’s Corner Website: www.sabahscorner.com
Facebook Group: Muslim Motherhood in the West https://www.facebook.com/groups/muslimmotherhoodinthewest
0:00 Introduction 1:50 Education and career background 02:55 What is a digital content writer? 03:40 What is your message to our youth? 05:40 How do you deal with writers’ block? 06:30 Fitness journey 09:05 Advice for youth going through mental health struggles? 10:00 NYC Marathon experience amid COVID-19 12:24 Dealing with loss during COVID-19 18:10 How do you prepare and train for a marathon? 19:23 Running for charity 22:00 Advice you wish you’d known when younger 24:30 Advice on how to cope with struggles 28:10 Spirituality of new moms
Huda A. Jaffer is the digital content writer for the Imam Mahdi Association of Marajea, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide religious education for Muslim Americans. Huda holds a degree in English and Middle Eastern Studies from the City University of New York- Hunter and has attained formal religious education in the seminary of Karbala, Iraq. Over the last decade, Huda has discovered a passion for exercise and has sought to break the barriers and stigma around women who wear the hijab in fitness. She has pushed herself to be the best athlete version of herself while training with some of America's toughest trainers. Over the last several years, she found a love for running which led her to complete two New York City Marathons, and she plans on running more marathons across the world. Most importantly, Huda is a mother to her two daughters and desires to teach them the value of having confidence in their faith and pushes them to be the best version of themselves.
Born and raised in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania, Ahmed completed secondary and advanced level education at Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School. He moved to Edmonton, Canada to pursue further education. He graduated with Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BscN) and has been working for Covenant Health for more than 15 years, areas of specialty have been general internal medicine and emergency nursing. With his spouse, he co-founded LIFESAVER YEG LTD in 2016, and has been providing CPR and First Aid Training services in Edmonton. Ahmed was involved with serving the community in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. He has also been involved in serving the Edmonton Jamaat at different leadership levels from being a program organiser to the president of the jamaat.
0:00 Introduction 02:28 Tell us about yourself 05:10 Why nursing? 08:10 Training process for nursing 10:28 What specialty do you practice in? 13:00 Starting your business 16:28 Advice on starting a business 18:25 Your service to the Shi'a community 24:40 Juggling your roles 28:30 Avoiding burnout, especially during COVID 32:10 Final piece of advice
Mariam Dahoui Charara is the author of the upcoming book series, 'To Enter His Gardens', a Figs and Olives Publications product. She received a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Teaching, with specialties in English and Speech. She is a wife and mother of two children.
Qaim Naqvi, a Chicago native, is a University of Illinois graduate in Natural Sciences and Environmental Science. He has worked in a variety of different areas of environmental conservation, from ecological research to community outreach to trail work in some of the most remote areas of the U.S. One of his long-term goals is to bring greater environmental consciousness into the Muslim community.
Hanna was born in Toronto and has been living there ever since. She graduated from University in 2019 with her BA and then received an immigration consultant certificate in November 2020. In May 2021, she passed her licensing exam and is awaiting issuance of her official Immigration Consulting license.
Hanna has been working at legal immigration offices since 2016 and has grown to love her job even more every year! For her, the best part is being able to reunite families and impact people's lives positively. In a profession where many professionals provide poor advice or focus on making a profit, she is especially determined to prevent this type of misconduct and assist those who have been taken advantage of.
In addition to her professional duties, Hanna's hobbies include painting and art, and she enjoys outdoor activities such as kayaking and hiking. She currently lives with her husband Ahmad and cat Sophie in Woodbridge.
Al Huda Youth's main initiatives are to provide an in-depth understanding of the main Islamic pillars, providing youth with tools needed to navigate Western society while maintaining Islamic values, and to host leisure events for youth to destress and form bonds within the Muslim community. Al Huda offers a combination of activities, such as lectures, workshops, social, and sport-related events. The latest projects include a bi-monthly de-stressor events, and Fireside Chat series.
Azwar Khalid is CEO of 247 Labs and co-founder of the online Alkutab Islamic School. He is a father, husband, software architect and entrepreneur with passion for understanding deep meanings behind the teachings of our religion and seeks to understand how one can model a happy life-style through the guidance of the Ahlul Bayt (A.S.)
Faraj Mental Health is a non-profit community organization founded in January of 2021. Faraj's main goal is to increase mental health literacy within the Muslim community, provide support and resources to community members, and create a safe space for events that discuss important, taboo, and nuanced topics or issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing within the Muslim community. Faraj uses an intersectional and multidisciplinary approach to its content and resources in order to cater to the diversity and complexity of individuals making up the community, as holistically as possible. Faraj also collaborates with other community organizations, groups, speakers, and representatives in order to help make a greater difference in the lives of people from all walks of life. Faraj's core value is empathy.
Faraj is currently hiring volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering as a team member, please reach out at farajmentalhealth@gmail.com for details on available positions.
Amin is a senior Public Health Sciences major at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also minoring in Global Poverty. He is multicultural and appreciates cosmopolitanism. He hopes to be able to put any hard and soft skills he acquires to use in serving humanity, and elevating the standard of living and quality of life for people. He also aspires to be a health practitioner.
Hidaya Nawee is a speaker, writer, and activist whose work predominantly focuses on issues of race, gender, religion, and disability advocacy with the overarching theme of God-centered social justice. She views activism as any action that one can do consistently in order to better oneself, one’s community, and one’s relationship with Allah (SWT). After spending two years pursuing premedical studies at Montgomery College, Hidaya decided that she no longer wanted to pursue medicine and became a pharmacy technician. Now, she is an aspiring attorney and is working through the transfer process to finish her undergraduate degree.
After spending the first 13 years of his life in Mombasa, Kenya, Nabil and his family migrated to Canada in search of a better life and a better education for my siblings and him. Shortly after, he completed his High School Diploma and soon after that, a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing at York University.
In the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, Nabil launched The Print Company, a full service print brokerage with his two business partners. A few months later, still during the pandemic, he launched The Unmasked Podcast, a podcast aimed at uncovering the stories of successful people and making them relatable to ambitious young individuals.
Having recently graduated, he is currently travelling across East Africa, working on launching his next venture. The purpose is to use technology from the developed world and use it for social benefit in developing countries.
His ultimate goal is to be able to provide equal access to basic needs such as education, healthcare and shelter for everyone across the globe.
Kamilah is currently pursuing a Masters of Information in Human Centred Data Science at the University of Toronto. She graduated as a valedictorian with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Waterloo in 2019. Kamilah is a 2020-21 Graduate Fellow at the University of Toronto Centre for Ethics focusing on the intersection between race, economics and data monopolies in Canada. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she held roles at the United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), as well as the Canadian federal government.
Fatima is a Toronto-based graphic designer who has been working in the industry for over 6 years. She has worked in-house and remotely for various clients and agencies, designing brand identities and online experiences. In 2019, she made the decision to pursue her own path as a full-time freelancer and has been doing it ever since.
Ambreen is a financial and tax consultant, and insurance professional with over 20 years experience. She graduated with a degree in accounting and finance, and also received life and health insurance licenses. After working with various companies throughout North America, Ambreen started her own consulting firm where she provides financial solutions to her clients. These include tax and accounting services, wills and trusts, retirement planning and insurance services. Her goal at LifeWealth Consultants is to educate and empower their clients so they can make informed financial decisions for their families.
Sayeda Akbar is very passionate about active healthy lifestyles and fitness. She has been playing soccer year round since childhood, and enjoyed sports like flag football and cross country in her high school years. Sayeda then found a strong passion for high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength and weight training. At the age of 18, she decided to complete a Certified Personal Training program and has been a Personal Trainer for almost three years. She has a passion to help individuals reach their full fitness potential. While our physical health is important, Sayeda is also a strong advocate of mental health and the importance of taking care of our “mind body and soul”. She is pursuing various opportunities that have allowed her to use personal experiences with mental health and fitness to educate young adults about the value of mental and physical self-care.
Fatima Ali is a rising senior studying Computer Science and researching in Human-Computer Interaction and Health Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. Currently, Fatima is at Twitter, interning as a software engineer and building dashboards for the Twitter API. At her previous position at Apple, she built features for a Machine Learning platform, and before that, at Google, she created a web app to support a nonprofit that has delivered 20 million pounds of extra farm produce to food banks. As an advocate for inclusion in the tech industry, she has organized professional development workshops for various groups, including early-career women at Muslim Women in Tech, interns and new graduates at Minterns, and incoming students at UC Irvine’s Muslim Student Union.
Outside of work, she loves to paint, edit photos of her hiking trips, and soak in the golden hour sunshine. Fatima grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she most cherishes the Northern California redwood forests.
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Haana Janmohamed is a rising senior studying Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Haana loves anything to do with computer science, statistics, healthcare, and teaching. She has worked as an academic coach, a research assistant, and is a returning software engineer intern at Facebook this summer. In the fall, Haana will work as a mentor to incoming CS students under her university’s computer science department and will also be serving as Co-President for UT Austin’s Ahlul Bayt Student Organization.
In her free time, Haana loves to read books, write on her blog (http://aninspiredtechie.blogspot.com), spend time with friends & family, and work on her brush pen calligraphy.
Omaima Saad is an Early Childhood Education student with 7 years of experience in the field. She is currently in her last year, soon to graduate and continue on with her Bachelor of Child Development degree program. Omaima has worked with children of all ages, from infants to school-agers. She has a love for the field and is very passionate with her work. During her 7 years of experience working in pre-schools, child-cares, kindergarten classes and currently, virtually with the YMCA, Omaima has effectively and competently presented her knowledge and teaching. A few of Omaima’s key roles as an Early Childhood Education student is to plan activities and design learning environments that benefit the child’s developmental stages. She also promotes and encourages learning through play in order to provide young children with everything they need to boost their physical, mental, and emotional development. Through her work, Omaima strives to make a difference in her students.
Imaad Remtula is studying to become a mechatronics engineer. As is the case with nearly every University of Waterloo program, Imaad is enrolled in a Coop, where he works for a different company every 4 months to gain experience in the field. On the side, he runs a custom luxury handmade furniture business which has been both his hobby and passion for nearly 4 years. Imaad lives in Toronto.
Muslim Youth in Motion is a non-profit organization that was established in 2012 by a few youth members in the community. MYM has grown a lot and today it stands serving and helping youth from all different cultures and backgrounds.
Our goal is to serve the ahlulbayt (as) and help the community grow, and flourish in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver. We hold weekly programs for families and the youth, programs include activities, lectures, or many other various and different type of programs. MYM is also known for leading great events, such as Eid Al-Ghadeer and Muharram. We hope to make a positive impact and effect in the community and help in bettering the world and as well as the society.
Abir Safa is a Detroit-raised poet of nine years. She began performing her work in 2012 at various events and centers across the U.S., U.K. & Africa. Her work aims to ignite the flame in the hearts of the lovers of the Ahlulbayt (a.s.). In recent years, she has extended her work to contemporary issues relevant to all people of all faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds.
Fatima Hussain is a third year psychology student at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She also studied abroad in the UK, taking courses in political science. She is involved in suicide prevention research and is working on a thesis researching mental health attitudes and knowledge in the Muslim community. Fatima volunteers for the Crisis Textline and the Mental Health Association of Central Florida. She serves as the engagement chair for the Longest Day committee of the Alzheimer’s Association local chapter. In the past, Fatima volunteered at a food pantry, homeless shelter, and hospital. At UCF, she works with the Refugee and Immigrant Education Initiative, the Pediatric Association of Caring Knights, Period @ UCF, and Honors Congress. She is also a virtual assistant to a Muslim psychologist. In the future, she hopes to attend a PhD program in Clinical Psychology to become a psychologist in a hospital and also conduct research.
Kumail Raza is a junior at New York University (NYU) studying Finance and Data Science. At NYU, Kumail is the first Shi'a President of the Muslim Students Association, one of the largest in the country. He is also involved with some of the business-related clubs on campus, including The Finance Society. Kumail plans on entering investment banking after graduation, and is passionate about bridging the financial literacy gap within the Shi'a community in North America, as well as building well-rounded communities that promote the banner of Shi'ism in religious, intellectual, and professional dimensions. In his free time, Kumail enjoys biking, hanging out with friends, and spending time with his family.
Shia Racial Justice Coalition began in response to the discussions regarding racism and anti-blackness in the Muslim world. We are a group of volunteers dedicated to reassessing our communities and where they stand on race. We aim to provide a variety of resources to help communities understand racial injustice and its history as well as ways to participate in movements. SRJC's goal is also to always uplift Black Shia voices and build a wholly anti-racist coalition.
Zeinab Shdid is passionate about art and started drawing when she was very young. She honed her talent and majored in Fine Arts in Lebanon, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree. She does not understand the negativity surrounding these types of majors for many reasons, as to her, painting is more than a major. It is about expressing oneself using the bright colors from her palette of love.
Sahara Mehdi is a 19-year-old journalism student in her second year at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. She fell in love with poetry five years ago and hasn’t stopped writing since. Sahara has been creating videos and other content under the alias “Miss Brainy” on YouTube since she was 15 years old. For more of her writing, you can find her @missbrainywrites on Instagram or @missbrainyblog.
Laila is a senior at Harvard University studying History of Science and Near Eastern Studies. She is passionate about working with young people to learn about religion and cultivating (and practicing) God-centered love in everything with them. Check out @marifaprograms to find out more about this. Laila finds inspiration from poetry, Shi'a Islam, and all the wonderful people she is very blessed and grateful to be surrounded by.
Insiya Aziz is a second year law student at the University of Texas School of Law. In her time as a law student, she has been involved with many pro bono projects, focusing on criminal justice, special education, and immigration. She also is also a board member at the American Muslim Bar Association, where she is involved in legal advocacy and policy work surrounding issues affecting Shia Muslims, both domestically and abroad. At present, she is working with the Southern Center for Human Rights in Georgia and the Council on American Islamic Relations in their Civil Rights department. At the law school, she is on the editorial board for the Texas Law Review and a competitor on the Jessup International Moot Court team.
Fatima Zaidi has become a globally recognized voice due to her contributions within Muslim communities as a public speaker. After speaking in Chicago’s annual Ashura procession for nearly five years, she was granted the opportunity to raise her voice on Islamic World issues at the White House for the Al Baqee Organization in 2019. Aside from her religious achievements, Zaidi is currently a senior at DePaul University where she is studying journalism and broadcasting, using her platforms to advocate for any and all humanitarian rights issues. She’s currently working in Chicago and writing for Pinnacle award-winning magazine 14East, Reclamation Magazine, and Brown Girl Magazine.
Who is Hussain's vision is a society inspired by Hussain. Leading with the values Hussain stood for, those of compassion, justice and dignity, our purpose is to build compassionate communities inspired by the moral values of Hussain. We achieve this through meaningful local actions and initiatives, coupled with informative content.
Who is Hussain is a global movement that services individuals of all backgrounds and welcomes volunteers who are passionate to create meaningful change. Who is Hussain operates in numerous countries in every continent across the globe, and are made up of individuals from many cultures, speaking numerous languages and subscribing to many religions. From organising blood drives, to feeding the homeless, to building homes, to environmental initiatives and so much more - we have sought to make a stand for positive change, locally and globally inspired by the timeless example of Hussain.
Aria Bashir is the founder and designer of Zaria Boutique, an up and coming modest fashion brand that is ethically produced in Canada by Aria and her talented mother, Zakia Bashir. As a new hijabi, and even before putting on the hijab, she always has the access to having her apparel tailored and customized to satisfy her modesty requirements by her mother and really wanted to provide that solution to other women who value modesty, both hijabi and non-hijabi.
Aria has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and French and completed her post grad in Human Resources. She now works full time at KPMG in Human Resources and juggles running a household and a business all at the same time! Aria is super passionate about supporting and empowering fellow muslimah who aspire to join the business realm.
Mohammad Ali Naqvi is a Certified Flight Instructor, based out of Los Angeles, CA. Mohammad Ali started flying at 18, and is currently building flight hours in order to become an airline pilot. He's currently a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, majoring in Aeronautics.
Mohammad Ali would like to use flying as a means to bring nonstop flights to Najaf and Karbala, to make ziyarat more accessible to Shias in the United States.
Zaynab received her Bachelors in Civil engineering in 2019. She started her first engineering job in September 2020, amidst the pandemic, and it was not easy. As a 5'2, visibly Muslim female, she has to prove herself every day on the construction field. But every little success tastes sweeter knowing that she is a rare case paving the way for future generations.
Salmaan Bhimji is a Mechanical Engineering student at Penn State University. He graduated from Parkland High School in the Spring 2020. He has many passions, including traveling, hiking, and soccer. He is always looking for ways to improve and educate himself through self-teaching and goal-setting. Three things are currently on his radar: starting his own business, finding a way to help the global community with his profession, and getting his private pilot's license!
Hood is a full-time bioengineering PhD at the Indian Institute of Technology. Apart from her love for science and curiosity to learn, the shockingly less number of hijab-wearing faces in Indian academia has further pushed her to continue in this field. Among the many personal and social goals she expects to achieve at the end of this journey are to (1) develop her critical thinking skills and help others in developing their own - something she feels is essential for the growth and empowerment of our community in India, and (2) contribute to the improvement of healthcare and bridge the gap between science and society.
As an illustrator, she hopes to fight back against the constant cyber negativity directed towards the Imam of our time. Therefore, her art is a combination of cupcakes and rainbows, spreading awareness and activism.
Join us for a new outreach show, Community Voice! With so many successful and inspiring youth movements and leaders around us, we will be learning about their stories, struggles, and ideas to reimagine our own daily lives and goals.
Ma’rifa is a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi’i students. By curating resources, crafting content, and building a community network, we provide students with a framework for critical leadership, grounded in culturally relevant, Islamic perspectives. Our goal is to invest in and enrich the Shi’i student journey in order to discover our individual and collective ma’rifa.
Hoda Gharib is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto (St. George). She conducts research that asks the question: what motivates people to engage in social justice behaviour and activism? She received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Health Studies and Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Health Promotion from Queen's University. Aside from her interest in health and social justice behavior, Hoda is especially curious about how the media shapes our emotions, beliefs, and behaviors, and is passionate about giving children and adults the skills and abilities to critically judge the advertisements and movies they view, the news that they read, and the social media posts that they spend so much time scrolling through. She is working towards being able to conduct research and teach at the university and community levels. Outside the academic world, Hoda loves to hang out at the waterfront with loved ones, play sports, practice Islamic art, and write about her reflections.
Safiya Hasan is a current senior at Briar Woods High School. In 2013, she started a hijab business, Heavenly Hijabs LLC. Since then, she has worked to build her brand as a social entrepreneur to serve the Muslim women population. As an active member of the Idara e Jaferia community in Maryland, Safiya strives to make youth and female involvement more prevalent for the future of Shi'a communities.
At school, Safiya has served as the Secretary and is the current Vice President at Large for the Briar Woods High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter. Also, she was the elected Treasurer and Vice President for her school's Muslim Student Association (MSA). As the current President of MSA, Safiya hopes to empower the Muslim community of her school through community service, open discussions, and youth involvement.
Safiya aims to pursue an education in Religious Studies and Entrepreneurship to apply her passions at the forefront of her higher education, In'Sha'Allah.
River City and Umoja Games 2021 are up for three awards through SportEvents magazine! These are: - All-Star Sports Venue – River City Sportsplex - All-Star Multipurpose Sports Venue or Sports Complex – River City Sportsplex - The Live or Virtual Sports Event to Watch in 2021- UMOJA Games 2021 – River City Sportsplex, Midlothian, Virginia
To vote, go to: https://sportseventsmediagroup.com/vote-now-for-the-annual-readers-choice-awards/
Asil Samhat, a student at McMaster University, is currently studying Social Sciences. She is planning to pursue a double-major in Political Science and Social Work. She has a deep love for reading and writing literature and poetry, and loves photography. She believes everyone needs an outlet, and for her, poetry and photography allow her to express her ideas and thoughts in a creative manner that she can share with the world. She also strongly believes in giving back to our communities through volunteer initiatives, as well as identifying and improving issues that can help better our communities to become a place in which everyone thrives.
Faisal Abbas is a technology aficionado and a geek at heart. He currently works as a Consulting Manager in the Tech Advisory area within Accenture. Faisal’s career spans over 16 years and he has worked with several Fortune 500 firms, such as Oracle, IBM, and Dell.
Faisal earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Sir Syed University, Pakistan, M.S. in Computer Science from Pakistan, and recently earned his MBA in Finance from Louisiana State University. Faisal has a passion for teaching and training individuals on cutting-edge technologies. In 2013, when he moved to Chicago from Austin, Faisal, with a local community member, felt the need to provide free-of-cost training to community members on easy-to-learn IT technology topics and to get them ready for the job market. With the overwhelming response, Faisal recently started his own YouTube channel to expand the scope of knowledge transfer.
Faisal has a passion for long-distance running and has completed several half marathons and finished the 2018 Chicago Marathon.
Aabir Rizvi is a people-loving, tech-loving, and above all Mola Ali (A.S.)-loving individual. He moved from Karachi to Chicago in 2002 and completed his Undergraduate Degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Aabir also completed his Project Management certification from Northwestern University and is actively pursuing an MBA from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Aabir is an active member of the Chicago Shia Community and has been reciting Nohay/Manqabats for over 20 years.
Aabir is a technologist by profession and works at Microsoft as a Customer Engineer. He specializes in helping Microsoft's Premier Customers with their Collaboration Technology needs and helps build their top leadership a road map to onboard the Microsoft Cloud platform. Aabir also plays a critical role in Microsoft's college hire program and mentors new hires joining Microsoft in their group.
Dr. Imran Khan is an accomplished scientist, clinical pharmacist, youth director and foodie. Growing up in small town Arkansas, Dr. Khan and his parents were the only Muslims in his city. For most people, such conditions is a recipe for losing their culture and faith. However with the influence of his parents and his mother's slipper, Dr. Khan became closer to his religion and stronger in his faith.
Dr. Khan's educational background includes graduating with honors with a BS in Chemistry from Arkansas State University and receiving his Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He competed his pharmacy residency at Lutheran General Hospital.
Dr. Khan is currently serving in an administrative role as a clinical pharmacist with Northwestern Medicine (NM) in Chicago, IL. He has implemented 6 pharmacy services with NM and delivered lectures on national and international forums. Recently he was awarded 2020 NM AQSI Best Overall Project Award.
Kabir Ali is a high school student at the High School of Health Sciences in Wisconsin. He enjoys Chemistry, Biology, and Math. During the pandemic, he has started a YouTube channel called The Medical Mixx and an Instagram photography page that have both garnered over 100 followers. He is on his school teams for soccer and mountain biking. He is also the behind the scenes operator for the uMentor talk show.
Born and raised in Hamilton Ontario, Sahar Jaber completed a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, and is currently completing a double honors in Sociology and Communication at McMaster University. She has completed some Islamic studies in Lebanon, and hopes to integrate that knowledge into her work. She started an Islamic publication company known as Figs and Olives Publications, where she recently published her first book, "But Why is the Hijab So Special?" This book aims to educate and inspire young females about the Hijab. It is currently available on Amazon and through direct contact. The main goal of the publishing company is to provide a reliable educational Islamic resource to parents. She is currently working with another aspiring author on a set of influential books. Her goals and aspirations in life are to empower the Muslim generation through literature and knowledge.
Nehal Naqvi is a Senior at Atholton High School, where he formerly served as the Treasurer of the Class of 2021. Also, Nehal is involved with the SGA Exec Board as a Board member and the Principal’s Advisory Committee.
Nehal has been involved with Howard county discourse and policies through his work on the Howard County Association of Student Councils. He works on outreach efforts as the Chair of the Public Relations Committee. In addition, he has served on HCPSS Policy Review, where he has brought the student perspective to community issues. He has also served as a Howard County Teen Court Juror to promote rehabilitation of youth offenders.
Outside of the school setting, Nehal enjoys playing basketball. In addition, he has political ambitions and has participated in door knocking, literature distribution, and phone-banking for the Calvin Ball Campaign.
Join us for our special meet the hosts show!
As a journalist In the West, Fatima Al-Sayed aims to bring more awareness about her community through storytelling. Fatima grew up in Toronto, where she did her undergraduate degree in Journalism at the University of Toronto and received a diploma in Journalism from Centennial College. She landed two internships after graduating. Her first internship was at The National Post, working on video content creation for the Financial Post. Her second internship was at CBC Canada’s “Day 6” radio show/podcast, where she pitched and produced stories. Fatima worked for the CBC before moving to Michigan, where she currently resides with her husband and works as a freelancer and hosts the Professional Edition of the uMentor Talk Show.
Imran Dharamsi is a first-year student at Brown University interested in biology, economics, and political science. He is still exploring his future career path, and is looking forward to taking advantage of Brown's open curriculum during his academic journey. He is involved in a number of student organizations including Brown's Muslim Student Association, the Ma'rifa Shi'a youth group, and Brown's chapter of Every Vote Counts. Imran also enjoys tutoring within his community and volunteers at his Madressa, and has built algebra2.org, a free algebra help website for high school students.
Imran is an avid volunteer at the Umoja Outreach Foundation, and recently began hosting the Teen Edition of the uMentor Talk Show. He hopes that bringing a teenage viewpoint to the show will help high schoolers and college students his age to answer some of the pressing questions they face while getting ready for their careers.
Sara is an undergraduate student in her 4th year at the University of Toronto-Scarborough Campus completing the human biology specialist program. She wants to pursue graduate school and complete a Ph.D. She is passionate about all things science and conducts research at her institution exploring the field of neurobiology. She loves communicating science and wants to inspire youth to pursue STEM-related majors, and appreciates the importance and integration of science into our daily lives. Her other interests include fashion, photography, and reading. She has a science & lifestyle blog on Instagram in which she showcases her interests and shares study tips for students.
This show is sponsored by Malak Wazne Photography. All profits from the sales of Beirut prints will be donated to people directly impacted by the explosion in Beirut. Visit malakwazne.com/shop to order!
Jihad F. Saleh is a humanitarian, anti-poverty activist based in Washington, DC. His activism & organizing focuses on amplifying the voices and building political power of targeted, vulnerable populations in the U.S. who are subjected to poverty, hunger, and social marginalization. He also works to expand the advocacy and community organizing capacity with the Muslim American community, particularly amongh Black Muslim and Shia Muslim networks.
In his professional capacity, Jihad is the Senior Advocacy & Government Affairs Advisor for Islamic Relief USA, the nation's largest Muslim humanitarian and advocacy organization. Jihad coordinates IRUSA’s engagement and lobbying with Congress and various Executive Departments. His advocacy focuses on humanitarian issues such as alleviating poverty and hunger in the US, ending gender-based violence, and protecting the funding of social service programs within the annual Congressional budget & appropriations. Currently, Jihad is the Co-Chair of the Interreligious Working Group for Domestic Human Needs (DHN) and a Board member of the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), two of the leading domestic focused advocacy coalitions in Washington, DC.
Previously, Jihad worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Legislative Assistant focused on education and anti-poverty policies. During his time on Capitol Hill, he served as the Programs & Outreach Coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA).
Jihad has earned graduate degrees from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In 2005, Jihad was a Summer Fellow with the Muslim Public Service Network (MPSN) in Washington, DC, while he completed his graduate school required internship at the AARP's Office of Diversity & Inclusion. In 2008, he was a recipient of the inaugural American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI) Fellowship at the University of Southern California.
Sarah is currently a second year engineering student at the University of Toronto. She has always been curious about the practical applications of science, and her interests in biomaterials and nanotechnology inspired her to study materials science and engineering. Outside of school, Sarah enjoys reading classic literature novels and books about philosophy and religion. She is a daily volunteer at her local mosque and enjoys taking initiative during children, youth and scouts programs.
Dr. Farooq Bandali earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000. During 2004 – 2005, Dr. Bandali completed an ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency. In 2005 – 2006, he completed specialty ASHP-accredited residency in critical care pharmacy.
For the next 9 years (2006-2015), Dr. Bandali served in a dual position as Clinical Assistant Professor at Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in NJ. His teaching responsibilities included precepting pharmacy students on rotations and delivering didactic lectures at EMSOP. His practice responsibilities include rounding daily on intensive care unit patients to assist medical teams in optimizing pharmacotherapy outcomes. In June 2015, he transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry. In his current role, he is a Senior Medical Science Liaison supporting both cardiovascular and metabolism research and education.
Dr. Bandali is also the co-founder of Taqwa Media which is an Islamic publishing and distribution company focusing on creating access to high quality Islamic educational products with the vision of sharing the message of God-consciousness…one family at a time.
Dr. Bandali has 2 boys, Mahdi and Ahmad. He is an avid soccer player, regularly runs, bikes, workouts and goes hiking and camping.
Zainab Merchant is an American journalist, author and entrepreneur. She is author of the books To Be a Muslim and Princess Siyana's Pen, with more titles on the horizon. Zainab is more commonly known by her blog name ZainabRights where she speaks about social justice issues, current affairs and God centric activism. She is in the final semester of her master's program at Harvard University in Journalism and International Security, and currently resides in Canada with her husband and three children.
Mehdi is an undergraduate student and Global Health Scholar at Yale University, studying biomedical engineering. His research interests concern nanoparticle drug delivery and gene therapy for brain cancer. He is also interested in putting war on the public health agenda, studying cancer burden and violence in Iraq. On campus, Mehdi works as a Student Organization Consultant for the Dean’s Office to aid community organizers and student leaders. He is also in the leadership of several academic, service, and religious-based campus groups, including the Yale Undergraduate Research Association, Yale Muslim Student Association, Students for Yemen, and Muslim Leadership Lab.
Mehdi is devoted to serving the Shi’a community. He is on the executive team for Ma'rifa, a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi'i students, and is a youth coordinator for Imamia Medics International. Through his community involvement and faith-based organizing, he hopes to engage with Shi’a youth and mobilize Muslim communities to advocate for global health, justice, and peace. In his spare time, Mehdi enjoys learning Urdu poetry and reading Shi’i liberation literature. Mehdi is from Orlando, Fl!
Malak Wazne-Fadlallah is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer working to tear down barriers, one story at a time. Her documentary work focuses on empowerment within - and empathy beyond - her community.
Her work has been published in Vogue Arabia Magazine, Buzzfeed, and many other outlets. Malak has also been nominated for 3 student Emmys, invited to The White House, received a scholarship and attended the summer film program at Northwestern University, and served in the Smithsonian Youth Council in 2018. Most recently, Malak received Best Photographer and Best Visual Artist in Detroit from Hour Magazine.
Naim Hamdar was born in Lebanon and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 9, and lived for two years in Boston, where his younger brothers were born, before moving to Tampa, Florida. Naim studied at the University of South Florida, majoring in Business and specializing in Marketing. He started his entrepreneurial career early, at the age of 19, funding his college education through his business venture. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree, he started a role as a regional manager for a national distributor for T-Mobile USA. After two years, he started his own business. Since 2005, he has owned and operated a payment processing company, CardConnectFL.com
He's married to someone who he classifies as his best friend and is blessed with amazing twins.
Taaha gained admission to Lafayette College through the Posse Foundation, graduating with an English major and a Writing Concentration in 2011. He then worked at Comedy Central, where he supported acquisition of the 'Key & Peele' show. After leaving the entertainment industry to pursue his passion of educational access, Taaha worked in the admissions office of his alma mater for five years, raising enrollment of students of color from 12% to 29%. He received his Education Masters in Higher Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, focusing on transitional support for marginalized young people. He was asked to serve on the School's board as a student, and found his next opportunity. In 2017, Taaha moved to Chicago to design a pipeline for students who have been historically marginalized from higher education - first generation college bound students, temporarily low-income, and students of color - to executive spaces over a 14 year academic journey. He recently accepted a new role on a project to improve post secondary efforts for five Chicago neighborhood schools with a substantial operational budget.
A native New Yorker by way of Tanzania, Taaha currently resides in Chicago. He loves playing and watching basketball, spoken word, and comedy.
Karim is a recent graduate of Lehigh University, where he studied mechanical engineering. He is very excited to enter the workforce and ready to learn as much as he can!
Ali is a Supply Chain major at the Penn State University Smeal School of Business. He is an advocate for pickleball, and has developed a site that aggregates content about the sport as well as content from pickleball professionals. You can access his site at pickleballvortex.com
He has run clinics to teach pickleball at Penn State. He opened his own small business, Bhaller Pickleball, which aims to sell products that capitalize on the growing popularity of the sport.
Ali also has extensive experience volunteering within the Islamic community. In Summer 2018, he volunteered with World Islamic Poverty and Humanitarian Services, where he taught English to nursery-aged school children and created a picture book as a teaching tool. At Al-Ahad Islamic Center, he was a fundraising volunteer, raising over $3000 to help families affected by forced displacement.
Previously, Ali has worked as a referee for the Northern Valley Youth Soccer League. He has also worked as a cashier at Dunkin Donuts. He is licensed in CPR. He has played in 5 Umoja Games, winning 2 in his age division.
On today's special episode, we talk about Umoja's latest initiatives with some of the Umoja team!
We were joined by Mustafa Dinani (Co-Founder and Chair), Farnaz Ladha (uCare Lead), Buturab Rizvi (Web & App Lead), Faizaan Datoo (Web & App Developer), and Hasnainali Walli (uGames Lead).
Download the Umoja app at app.umojaoutreach.org, and interact with all of our initiatives on the website (umojaoutreach.org) or Umoja app!
We're moving to video shows! Watch this show and all future shows on our YouTube channel! Search for Umoja Outreach on YouTube and subscribe for more.
Iman Saab is an aspiring registered nurse with a strong passion for clinical science and health care. She has worked with dementia patients at a long term care facility, with recovering patients on a cardiology unit, and with mentally and physically impaired patients on a neuro-rehab unit. She strives to have a positive impact wherever she is, whether it’s volunteering at her local mosque, leading her Scouts group through the wilderness, or advocating for fellow nursing students in her program.
After Dr. Rizvi completed a BS in Information Systems (ISE) at Stony Brook University he worked at the Wall Street office of Citigroup for a brief period. He then pursued an opportunity to serve others and completed a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. There, he developed a passion to work with and within the health care system and culminated his degree with a thesis to develop methodologies for patients to obtain access to quality care. During this time, he also worked at a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contractual think tank, ANSER, in Arlington, VA to develop protocols for mass casualty events and pandemics. It is through this work that he received a Travel Award from the National Science Foundation to participate in an Advanced Studies Institute on public health preparedness and response. Following this, he pursued medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and eventually completed a General Surgery residency followed by a Vascular Surgery fellowship at Brooklyn campus of NYU Langone Medical Center. He has presented as podium presentations at numerous local, national and international vascular surgery conferences. He is an author of several scientific manuscripts and book chapters in major vascular surgery textbooks. He is involved with major national vascular surgery societies and was recently appointed membership on national committees. More recently, he was the Medical Director of the Vascular Laboratory at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY. He is now an attending vascular surgeon at NYC Health and Hospital/Harlem and runs a separate private vascular surgery practice, Vascular Care, serving long island based out of his office in Lynbrook.
Reza Aziz is a junior who attends Calhoun High School in Merrick, NY. As a high school student, Reza is a tutor for his local Kumon center on the weekdays, he volunteers at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, and he officiates local travel soccer games on the weekends. He loves to play soccer for his local Merrick travel team and his community team NY Jaffery Juniors, who won the U16 tournament in the 2019 Umoja Games. He also enjoys being on stage and is a part of his high school’s specialized dramatic arts program, the OnTour Company. For the past 3 years, Reza has participated in Poetry Out Loud, which is a national competition where students recite poetry on stage. This past March, after winning the school and regional competition, Reza participated in the state competition where he had the opportunity to compete against fellow students across NY state and celebrate poetry. Reza has always been interested in the sciences and looks to pursue a career in medicine in the future.
Sakina is a mother of 3 young adults, and is a software engineer, program manager of Umoja Outreach Foundation, a board member at her local masjid, a Saturday school teacher, a lunch pal for a 3rd grader (Lilly), and now a grandmother to two amazing boys. In all these roles, she enjoys and satisfies her passion of helping others.
Maisum is 12 years old and is driven by his desire to help others and succeed in sports, school, and making a difference in the community. He wants to become a civil engineer. His favorite subjects are math and science. He was born and lives in Allentown, PA and is a proud big brother to 2 younger siblings.
Our second teenage talk show! Our guest for this week was Jahangusht Tajdar! Jahangusht is a first-year college student and grocery clerk at Weis Markets who, like millions of others at this time, is risking his life working in an essential job to ensure that others are taken care of.
Fatima is a qualified paralegal. She was a law student back in Pakistan and decided to pursue the same when moving to Canada in June 2012 after getting married.
She worked for a few firms after receiving her diploma, but life had other plans for me and she got pregnant with her first-born, Abbas.She is a mother of two beautiful children: Abbas (almost four) and Zahra (a little over two). She recently started a lifestyle blog on Instagram to interact with other moms around the world.
We had our first teenager talk show this week on Instagram Live! Join us for our next show on May 16 @ 3 PM EST at instagram.com/umojaoutreach.
Our first guest for this week will be Faizaan Datoo! Faizaan is a first-year computer science student at Cornell University. He learned to code from a young age and worked on various projects throughout his childhood, including a game to help children learn math and a smart task management app. He currently works on development projects for Umoja Outreach Foundation.
Our second guest this week will be Zainab Alikhan! Zainab Alikhan is currently a senior at Elsik High school in Houston, TX. In the Fall of 2020 she will be attending the University of Denver majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Political Science. Zainab enjoys nanoparticle research and reading memoirs.
The uMentor team wishes you and your families a Ramadhan Mubarak. This month of Ramadhan, we have a lot of surprises in store for you, so stay tuned on our Instagram @umojaoutreach!
Erum is a stay-at-home mom, better known as the Chief of Operations at home. She received a Bachelors in Psychology at Rutgers University and and Masters in Elementary Education. After getting married and having children, Erum chose to be a stay-at-home to raise her children with the same morals provided by her parents and in-laws, and also be present for her children’s small and big moments. She returned to work as a high school substitute teacher to allow flexibility between work and home. With a very good friend, Erum also started an event planning business, Designlicious.
Erum is married to Ali, and together they have three beautiful kids – Abbas, Zayna, and Zara. Motherhood is a selfless and most rewarding job, and Erum takes pride in raising her children to be future world citizens in all aspects religious, social, and educational. Her only wish is that she could slow time down.
As a child of Palestinian immigrants and reaching maturity shortly after 9/11, Mohammad's existence was political and he faced that identity head on. He was continuously involved in political, civic, and community organizations throughout his education. Mohammad has volunteered for United Voices, served as an Emerging Leader with Emerge USA (Emgage) and Fellow for NNAAC (National Network of Arab American Communities), and interned with the civil rights department at CAIRFL. After graduating from law school, Mohammad worked as the Central Florida Regional Coordinator for Emgage. He had a strong connection with his local masjid, IEC Tampa, serving as a board member in charge of youth activities at IEC Tampa and returning as a teacher at 14 Stars Education Center at the Saturday school program. Mohammad is married and living in Detroit, Michigan, and he currently focuses on immigration law at Elsharnoby and Associates in Dearborn. He will be receiving his LL.M in Employment Law at Wayne State University.
Born and raised in Kabul Afghanistan, Habib migrated to Pakistan in 1982 and moved to the US in 1987. He went to college for MIS and is a 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Habib incorporated his company, Habib’s Martial Arts, in 2006. He is also the founder and president of Global Humanitarian Resources, a 501c organization.
Habib is married with four kids, two boys and two girls. He is an avid soccer player and enjoys reading , hiking, biking outdoors. However Habib misses the mountains.
Ali Ladak is an analytics professional for over 10 years with a focus on predictive modeling, data aggregation & visualization, and strategic consulting. His is currently a Marketing Science Partner at Facebook where he advises his clients on the best practices in using the Facebook platform and analyzing of a number of marketing solutions. Prior to Facebook, Ali was at GroupM, a Media Agency Holding company. During his 6 years at GroupM, Ali focused on the creation of models that helped predict how consumers would respond to different marketing initiatives, as well as the economy.
Ali holds a bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management from Lehigh University, and a master's degree in Economics from Hunter College.
Mastora is a secondary urban chemistry educator. She graduated from Rutgers Newark with a Bachelor's of Art Degree in Chemistry and concentration in urban education. Her experiences as a college student include studying abroad in Italy for a summer semester, co-founding Ahlul Bayt Student Association (RU-N) and gaining teaching experience by working as a TA for organic chemistry lab and world of chemistry lab.
Currently, she works at a vocational high school that specializes in STEM education. She is a first year high school teacher who hopes to make an impact on her students and looks forward to continue growing as an innovative educator.
Zuhair is a New York City-based architectural designer specializing in the science and technology sector. He started reciting at the age for 13 after being inspired and mentored by renowned Egyptian reciters. Zuhair often recites for delegations from the International community during the UN assembly as well as conferences and events throughout the world. In 2013 and 2018 he participated in the International Quran competitions in Tehran, Iran and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, respectively. He has also recited in the mausoleums of Imam Hussain (AS) and Imam as-Redha (AS) in the cities of Karbala and Mashhad.
In addition to Qur’an recitation, Zuhair takes part in Arabic calligraphy and graphic design. He completed his architecture thesis on the rebuilding of Jannatul Baqi. It is the first proposal of its kind which envisions a mausoleum design for the cemetery blending traditional Islamic architecture into a contemporary manner.
Zahraa is a budding health policy leader and community builder who currently works as a Policy Analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Over the past few years, Zahraa has researched, written, and developed policy recommendations and reports for Senior Federal and Provincial Government Officials, United Nations Officials, consulting agencies, research institutes, and leading national non-profits on the most pressing health issues of our time.
Zahraa has recently graduated from her Masters of Public Health at the University of Toronto, where she specialized in health promotion and public health policy.
Maheen is a wife, mom and first year medical student in Southern New Jersey. Prior to medical school she worked in the pharmaceutical industry designing and developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics. She then developed CAR-T cell therapies for blood borne cancers. Maheen has a Bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master's degree in Biochemistry from Georgetown University. She was inspired to go to medical school after her mom passed away. However, her journey has been a winding one. Being a mother herself has changed her perspective on higher education and healthcare, and medicine in particular. Maheen strongly believes in encouraging women to pursue higher education and realizes the need for women to support each other in doing so. Maheen hopes to merge her personal experience and previous professional experience with her medical education and training to be an advocate for her patients.
M. Amin Karami is an Associate Professor at Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He is the director of Intelligent Dynamic Energy and Sensing Systems (IDEAS) lab. His area of expertise is energy harvesting and specially powering medical devices using body movements, nonlinear renewable wind and wave energy generators as well as smart material and meta-material systems. Dr. Karami has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Department of Aerospace Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his PhD in summer 2011 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Engineering Mechanics. He worked in the Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures (CIMSS). Dr. Karami has about 30 Journal publications and book chapters which have been cited over 1300 times. He has been invited to present his research at medical and engineering conferences including conferences in Hong Kong and China.
His research has been supported by grants from NSF, NIH, and industrial grants related to his patents.
Chef Sammy is a chef and baker whose passion is to make our world a little closer through our universal love of good food.
She is a gemologist by profession and has three beautiful girls. Her love for creating international food and having a better understanding of each other and our cultures encouraged her to give up her profession and pursue food blogging full time.
Living in a war zone during his childhood until he left Iraq, Ali Kadhum was saddened by the lack of smiles on peoples’ faces. Since he arrived in the United States, Ali has worked hard to create hope and a future for refugees and immigrants, who have lost a lot in life. He empowers individuals through counseling and organizing different activities to celebrate their diversity in their new home.
Ali received his Masters in Social Work from the University at Buffalo. He serves as the president of the Buffalo Immigrants and Refugee Empowerment Coalition, and organizes its annual World Refugee Day events. He is also a Supervisory Care Manager for BestSelf Behavioral Health, which provides mental health counseling services to the local community. He lives in Buffalo, New York with his family.
Hussain is a graduate physician assistant from Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. Having been raised in Minnesota, he has developed a passion for nature and the outdoors, as well as medicine. He currently resides in Orlando, Florida where he works as a provider at Paramount Urgent Care. In his free time, Hussain enjoys organizing camping trips, biking, fishing, mountaineering and traveling.
Nazneen leads the Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) team at Salesforce Research, where her work focuses on making human interactions with AI systems more trustworthy. This is accomplished by making AI systems, such as deep learning models, transparent and interpretable. She completed her Ph.D. from University of Texas – Austin in Computer Science and has published papers at top conferences in Machine Learning and Natural Language processing.
She has given several invited talks about her work, including at he UNESCO session on fairness in AI and the Toronto Machine Learning Summit.
Dr. Adnaan Sheriff is a family medicine physician who currently practices in Buffalo, NY. He graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014 and completed his residency training in Family Medicine at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, NY in 2017 where he served as chief resident. He currently is part of a private practice of 7 primary care providers and is passionate about incorporating technology into the practice in order to improve patient experience and impact health outcomes.
Earlier this year he was recognized by the Buffalo News as being one of the "Emerging Leaders in Healthcare" in Western New York.
Imran Datoo is a pharmacist by profession. He studied at Aston University in Birmingham, UK and graduated in 2013. He has now been practising pharmacy for over five years.
Imran’s bigger passion in life is serving Allah (swt) and the Ahlulbayt (as) with the means of reciting Nawhas (lamentations) and Qasidas (religious poetry) in their honour. He believes that with the little he deserve, he have been blessed with the opportunity to serve them in this manner. With God’s Grace, Imran have had the opportunity to travel around the world reciting at different centres and meeting amazing individuals who he has learnt a lot from.
Imran prays that Allah(swt) accept all our ibadat (prayers). Ameen
As a dental hygienist Fatema’s job is to maintain the well being of her clients’ oral health. She first started as a dental assistant and got her first job as an assistant with Dr. Wilma Rho when she was 16. Dr. Rho actually trained Fatema to become an assistant and Fatema has never gone to assisting school. She has been a dental assistant for 10 years and a hygienist for 4. She went to school for a Bachelors in Biology at Rutgers University and then transferred to Eastern International College for Dental Hygiene. Dental Hygiene is a field that has lots of room for growth, you can either work clinically, go into teaching or even research. Hygienists work hand in hand with periodontist to make sure your gum health is taken care of and that your oral health is at its finest. They do oral cancer screening and some preventive dentistry such as sealants and scaling and root-planning.
An interesting fact about Fatema is that she actually wanted to be a novelist when she was growing up.
After working in HR for a number years, Tazeen realized her real passion was in helping people attain their dream jobs. She noticed that many close to her were struggling with putting their best foot forward and she knew the career potential each of them had. Offering her help with resume editing and interview coaching, Tazeen's clients started to see great results, getting more calls for interviews and more competitive offers.
Looking for a job, have an interview or just want to update your resume with a splash? For career direction and everything in between, Tazeen Raza has seen it all in her many years of working in HR. She makes it her job to land you your dream job!
Tamana Noory is Biologics Associate Manager at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation. She received her BS in Bio and my MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Tamana’s job duties and responsibilities include ensuring the safety in composing the drug substance and drug products for Novartis' Biologics drugs; warranting appropriate manufacturing of the drug, its product characteristics, and product testing in order to confirm that the product is safe, effective and consistent between batches. This all falls under the CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls) section in a BLA, NDA, or IND (different drug approval packages presented to the FDA before approval into the market). This section helps maintain the connection in quality between the drug used in clinical studies and the marketed drug as long as it's marketed.
Zainab Ahmadi, is a fourth year student at Rutgers University Newark, School of Criminal Justice. From her very own community in Parsippany, New Jersey, Zainab remains as the first and only girl to enter the field of criminal justice. Her passion to understand the science behind criminality has outweighed the odds she faced. With support from her family she strives to achieve her goal of becoming a criminal prosecutor.
On campus Zainab stays active by advocating for Shia Rights and has served as the founding Vice President of the Ahlul-Bayt Student Association. She has also been an active member of the Criminal Justice Club. Zainab hopes that her journey can set an example for younger generations and encourage them to study criminal justice.
Akeela Manekia-Mehdi is a Qur’an tutor and the creator of an app for Muslim children, Qur’an Treasure Island.
Akeela has had the opportunity to live in several states in the USA as well as the Middle East and Africa. She homeschooled through high school and eventually attended the University of Central Florida where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
She currently lives in Minneapolis, MN, where she is working endlessly to enhance the app with exciting updates, and promote it to the wider Muslim community via social media and live events.
Hadi Mirza works as a Technical Project Manager at Oracle Corporation. Within his role, he is responsible for leading a team of IT infrastructure engineers, developers, and architects through large projects within the Oracle Cloud Computing environment. His most recent projects involve the migration of applications into the Oracle Cloud environment and decommissioning data centers that have non-supported hardware. Prior to working for Oracle, Hadi was involved in various consulting roles where he was running projects for clients in the Houston and Austin area. Some of the projects included building out campus networks for a major non profit in Houston, and working with the City of Houston on software projects.
Hadi was born and raised in San Jose, CA and obtained an undergraduate degree in Business at the University of San Francisco, and an MBA from California State University Monterrey Bay. He relocated to Texas in 2015, and currently lives in Austin.
Salma El-Sayed is a recent graduate from Ryerson University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resources and minoring in Law.
Recently, she has put her business management education and passion for creating in the kitchen to open a Lebanese style cocktail cafe just outside of Downtown Toronto. She always had dreams of running her own business and with hard work, determination and support from her friends and family she was able to do so.
Salma is extremely thankful for this learning experience and is looking forward to grow and continue learning through her journey at Crème et Miel.
Sajid Alimohamed is a personal and professional development coach and trainer who helps brilliant young minds develop inner-confidence and people skills so that they rise and shine. He has been active in building youth leaders across North America for the past 8 years and has more than ten years of experience working in leadership roles for a variety of organizations. Currently Sajid gives his full-time attention to programming and running deeply impactful leadership retreats and training programs as the founder of LISTENING CONNECTS.
Sajid admits to making a poor decision when choosing his career path. As a result, the next 10 years ended up being a series of dissatisfaction at work and deep contemplation on life and how to contribute to this world. Today, Sajid is content, motivated, energized and grateful for the path that he is on and enjoys sharing what he has learned along the way. Sajid has been married for 14 years and has two amazing children. He was born and raised in Canada, loves the outdoors, loves to travel, loves to learn and experience new things and loves to help others do the same.
Eman, originating from Texas, graduated from Texas A&M University majoring in Visualization. After doing a brief contract in Dallas with an small animation studio named Brazen, she moved to Vancouver to work as a lighting artist at the visual effects studio, Moving Picture Company.
While in Vancouver, she worked on films such as Detective Pikachu, Aquaman, and Skyscraper. Just recently, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and is now working at Pixar Animation Studios as a lighting technical director.
Born in Pakistan, Sadiq made his way to England when he was around 13. He was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to attend a top boarding school there. After finishing high school, Sadiq took a year off to work. He started off working at an accounting firm and realized that it was not for him.
Sadiq moved to New York for college and studied finance. During his four years at The King’s College, Sadiq interned at a non-profit called charity Water and also at UBS. Sadiq now works for FinTech, HiddenLevers, that provides technology for asset managers and financial advisors to better serve their clients through portfolio stress testing and scenario analytics.
Zaineb Hussein is currently the Executive Director of Wayne United for Wayne County, which is located in Southeastern Michigan. Via internal and external programming, Wayne United focuses on fostering a welcoming environment where all residents can thrive. Under Zaineb’s guidance and leadership, Wayne County has become a “Welcoming County”; a bold statement, which makes it clear that Wayne County is a place that all immigrants, refugees and minority communities feel safe and welcome. Zaineb has also been charged with leading Wayne County’s 2020 Census campaign and has been appointed by the Governor of Michigan to sit on the statewide 2020 Census complete count committee.
Zaineb is also a founding partner of TwoFiveFour Consulting through which she advises political campaigns on strategy, branding, finance, and nonprofit and for-profit business planning. Zaineb has been a pioneer within the Michigan Muslim community and has been paving the way for civic engagement by Muslim Americans. She has been an inspirational voice and a fierce advocate for Muslim engagement in the political process.
Ali Alvi was born in Pakistan and moved to the U.S with his family at a very young age. This multi-cultural upbringing has allowed him to be bi-lingual. Ali attended the University of Maryland majoring in Criminal Justice but decided to pursue sales and marketing as a career. With over 18 years of experience in the field, he is currently working as the Director of Sales for an advertising firm in Midtown Manhattan.
Ali is deeply involved in community service and began working with Who Is Hussain as a volunteer 4 years ago. He is now responsible for media and marketing for Who Is Hussain North America.
Amin G. Aaser is a leader in Muslim children’s education, advocacy, and development. He is the founder and Executive Director of Noor Kids (www.noorkids.com), a Harvard-supported educational services organization n that seeks to build confidence in the religious identity of young Muslims. Noor Kids publishes one of the world’s fastest-growing Islamic children’s book series with titles in over 25,000 homes across 25 countries. Amin is an expert on identity, bullying, and education among Muslim children in America. He has been featured on various media outlets and has been invited to over 220 communities across North America to help counter challenges faced by Muslim children and youth. Amin began his career in business management, working for Fortune 500 companies. He gained his MBA at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, specializing in faith-based social enterprises. He graduated magna cum laude with distinction from the Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota. Amin lives with his wife and daughter in Minneapolis, MN.
Beheshta is a registered dietitian based in New Jersey and New York City. Born and raised as a Jersey girl, she went on to graduate from Montclair State University and obtained her Bachelor's in Nutrition and Food Science with a concentration in dietetics. She took a leap of faith and moved to Manhattan, NYC to complete her dietetic internship through NewYork-Presbyterian's clinical nutrition program working with patients from pediatrics to the geriatric population. Soon after completing her internship and becoming an RD, she began counseling her own clients and spreading her knowledge in order to help them in their wellness journey.
In addition to counseling, she works in the corporate wellness industry full-time to initiate and coordinate wellness and benefits programs for over 40,000 employees across ten work-sites on how to live a healthier lifestyle.
Zishan is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Central Florida in 2006.
She has worked with preschool and school-aged children with speech or language impairments, learning disabilities and autism for eleven years. She currently works with pediatric clients in a private practice.
Zahra is a graduate of Eastwick College in Ramsey, New Jersey. She received a degree in Applied Science in Cardiovascular Sonography. She did her externship at Hackettstown Medical Center, and is currently working for the New Jersey Cardiovascular Group. She enjoys helping patients, especially the elderly.
Zahra spends her Saturdays as a volunteer at Mohammadia School in Paterson, New Jersey, where she teaches Islamic studies to young children. In addition to spending time with the students, she loves to form bonds of friendship with them to take as they get older.
Azim is a project manager (BSc, PMP), trainer and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) at AAD Consultants Inc. He is a leader, trainer, mentor, and advisor to the staff, volunteers, and management of corporations and nonprofit organizations.
In 2010, he founded the Muslim Food Bank and Community Services Society. He volunteers as a Director in several boards including the Mennonite Museum Society and Vantage Point.
Azim received his BSc from the University of Nairobi, and Accounting and PMP Certifications in British Columbia.
Hasnainali is born and raised in Toronto, Ontario (proper Toronto not the GTA). He did his undergrad in Engineering at Ryerson University and currently works as a Design Engineer in Graphic Memory Technology at AMD Inc.
Hasnainali joined Umoja Outreach Foundation first as a participant back in 2014 at Umoja Games 2014 in Allentown. The idea of the Umoja Games is what got him to get involved. Hasnainali has been involved as an Umoja Games organizer ever since. Hasnainali is currently part of the Executive Team at Umoja Outreach Foundation, focusing on Umoja Games.
He enjoys being part of this no matter how hard the challenge is. Seeing all the smiles and hearing everyone’s favorite moment makes it all worth it.
Syed Uzair Hamdani is a Doctor of Medicine in the field of Gastroenterology.
He currently works at Northwest Ohio Gastroenterology Associates.
Uzair has been married for 15 years and is a father to three kids. He has two boys and a girl. Uzair has been living in Ohio for the past 4 years.
While in college, Saiyid Hasan Ali Rizvi focused his studies on politics and religion in the Middle East and the Islamic World. He studied subjects such as Islamic Jurisprudence, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Democracy & Reform in Post-Revolutionary Iran, American Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Terrorism in International Relations, Israeli Politics, and Islam, Democracy, & Violence in the Islamic World. Saiyid Hasan began his formal Islamic studies in 2010 at the Imam Ali (as) Seminary in Orlando, FL and graduated in 2012.
Saiyid Hasan has been continuing his Islamic education in the holy city of Qum for past 5 years. He is focusing on a wide variety of subjects. His master’s degree focus is in Western studies where issues such as democracy, capitalism, materialism, science & religion, atheism, postmodernism, etc. are examined through the lens of Islamic Philosophy and Spirituality (‘irfan). He also concentrates his private research in the fields of Islamic Psychology, Islamic Education & Islamic Parenting.
Zaynab Dhalla is currently in her fourth year at Ryerson University, pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work and minor in Criminology. She currently sits on the Board of Directors on Ryerson Students Union, and works with Visions of Science Network for Learning to provide free STEM opportunities to low-income and marginalized kids. Zaynab is an award-winning, published and internationally acclaimed spoken word artist who uses her voice and passion to advocate for social justice, to raise awareness on issues such as Islamophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia and more. Her work has a huge online presence, been featured on multiple platforms, been published and earned several awards. Zaynab and her teammates represented Ryerson University at the College University Poetry Slam Invitational Poetry Tournament (CUPSI) and placed 17th out of 66. She uses her words as a means of building ties within and between other communities. Zaynab believes in empowering youth to stand up against oppression.
Zakira Shyrose Jaffer-Dhalla is an award-winning, multilingual and internationally renowned Islamic lecturer who travels internationally to recite Majlis-e-Hussein around the world. She lectures on Islam at mosques, universities and private gatherings and is a prolific writer, playwright, motivational speaker, puppeteer and famous social media, TV and radio personality.
An Anti-Racist Educational Counsellor by profession, Zakira Shyrose is a graduate of York University (Toronto, Canada) and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology and a Masters Degree in the field of Education. She has received numerous awards and has been recognized by Ahlulbayt TV with an “Award of Excellence“ for her outstanding contribution to female public speaking. Zakira Shyrose is also a social activist and has spoken twice outside the White House and as well as at outdoor assemblies including Stockholm, Sweden where she addressed a crowd of 10,000.
Mohamad El-Zein was born in Houston, Texas and was raised overseas in Lebanon. At the age of 7, Mohamad attended a Qur’an Academy in South Lebanon. At 10, he began reciting at international competitions. By age 12, he was awarded first place in Tajwid Al Qur’an in Lebanon. His family moved back to the States when he was 14, and Mohamad continued his journey there. A few years later he opened his own school of Qur’an and began teaching it to young children in the city of Dearborn. Now, he has over 400 students and is a very active member of the community. He recites Qur’an all over the world. You can find him at the Islamic Institute of America and Islamic Centre of America which he frequently attends. He has also read in Iran, Iraq and Canada.
Mohamad aims to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Sheikh Atef El-Zein, who inspired his journey.
Zeeshan Shamji, a mother to two beautiful children, is an Indian-born native who moved to Long Island, New York to achieve her dream of becoming a professional licensed cosmetologist and makeup artist. With over 6 years of intense training and experience in bridal makeup and hair, and an award-winning diverse portfolio, Zeeshan stands unparalleled in her work and is highly sought after in the industry. She has also worked with a number of media outlets and fashion icons.
Zeeshan earned her credentials and training from the highly recognized Savio John Pereira (Mumbai, India), Asian Bridal Hair and Makeup by Zukreat (London), San Francisco Cosmetology and Aesthetics Empire Beauty School New York. Her brand, GlowZee, is a client’s destination for the latest trends, featuring the best there is to offer when it comes to getting “GLAMMed” up for their special day. Zeeshan loves to bring out each client’s natural beauty and enhance their special features with careful insight and an analyzed and personalized unique approach.
Anisa Ali has been the Family Mediator and Settlement Conference Facilitator for Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) Peel/York for the past 10 years. Prior to LAO, she worked for 8 years with the Ministry Of Attorney General Family Mediation Provider (Blue Hills Child and Family Services) at the Superior Court of Justice Newmarket, Ontario as a Family Mediator/Information Referral Coordinator. An accredited family mediator since 2002, she holds a Masters of Social Work degree from University of Windsor and a Bachelors of Arts from York University. She bring over 18 years of experience in the field of conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation and training.
Anisa volunteers as the current Chair of Peel Family Mediation Service and has been a Board member since 2011. For the past six years she has been responsible for Peel Family Mediation Annual Domestic Violence Symposium where she gather professionals and experts from within Ontario for day of enlightened training and networking.
Since 2015, Anisa has been a guest lecturer at York University Social Work (BSW & MSW) Family Mediation courses. She works on family mediation and domestic violence/power imbalance course development and training at Humber College ADR Program, Peel Family Mediation Services Internship training, Legal Aid Ontario training programs and community workshops within Greater Toronto Area and Kitchener-Waterloo area. Anisa also supervises BSW, MSW and Humber ADR students at her workplace throughout the year.
Tina Haralambopoulos received her undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University in teaching and learning. She went on to pursue her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction, with a certification in English as a Second Language. She has been working as a teacher for 8 years and is currently a 4th grade teacher at a charter school in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to teaching, Tina has taken on additional leadership opportunities. She is currently a school board member for DuPage High School District 88 and one of the newest members of the Umoja Outreach Foundation, focusing on the uAcademy branch.
Monira obtained her Bachelors of Applied Science in Public Health from Ryerson University, a degree which most commonly leads to a role as a health inspector. After a very brief period in inspection, she received an opportunity to join the education department of a private company and developed training programs for safe food handling. She later obtained a Masters of Education in Health Professions Education. With almost two decades of experience in food safety training, Monira is a sought after public speaker, trainer and consultant with a proven track record in assisting in the development and delivery of food safety training programs across Canada.
In her free time, Monira is passionate about working with youth in the community and is the coordinator of a weekly youth program for Muslim girls at a local centre.
Inspired by nature, healing body movement and breathing techniques, Theresa leads classes that suit all physical levels at various studios in the Durham, Ontario region. With a love for finding stillness within this chaotic world, Theresa guides each student to seek tranquility and self-appreciation. Theresa has been teaching Pilates and integrated movement since 2009. She has been teaching Yin and restorative yoga since 2017. Trained with Body Harmonics (Mat Pilates), Fountain of Youth Yoga (Yin & Chakra), Glow Yoga (Yin, Restorative Yoga and 250 hour YTT) and Second Wind (Pilates Mat and reformer)
Dr. Hina was born in Karachi, Pakistan but grew up in the United States from the age of 11. Her family settled in Darien, Connecticut where she attended middle and high school. After high school, she attended a combined 8 year BS/MD program at Union College / Albany Medical College. She received a Masters in Health Management at Union College as well.
After completing medical school, Dr. Hina started Internal Medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center. She stayed on to do a one year fellowship to specialize in liver disease. She then did a three year fellowship in Gastroenterology at Northwell.
After completing her education and training, she started her current position as Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at ProHealth in Lake Success, NY. She lives in Long Island with her husband and children.
In her free time, she enjoy reading and traveling with her family.
Ali is a designer, occassional writer, educator and speaker. Holding a variety of design leadership positions Ali has worked at Deloitte Digital, Chaotic Moon (acquired by Accenture), Razorfish, Rockwell Group, XIX Entertainment, Ogilvy & Mather's Brand Integration Group and Honest Dollar (acquired by Goldman Sachs). He has worked with Disney, IBM, John Deere, Pizza Hut, Honda, Nobu, McDonald's, State Auto, David Yurman and Victoria Beckham.
In addition, Ali has held various teaching appointments: Pratt Institute, Visiting Associate Professor; University of Texas at Austin, Design Scholar in Residence and Distinguished Senior Critic; Cooper Union, Visiting Artist; workshops and lectures at Yale University, Parsons, Konkuk University, Rutgers University, Queens College, Hongik University and Art Institute of Hollywood.
Having grown up with a real estate investor father, Ali Jafri has been surrounded by the business since childhood. Today, he's 10-year veteran of the New York real estate market and a consistent top producer with more than $2 billion in transactions under his belt. Known as a go-to source among industry media, Ali has been featured on the cover of Top Agent Magazine and in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
From celebrities to buyers just starting out, Canada native Ali is dedicated to achieving top prices for his sellers and negotiating outstanding value for his buyers. Clients rave about his high ethical standards, vast market knowledge and meticulous manner, and Ali doesn't take the accolades lightly. "I get to participate in people's lives at a level where they're trusting me with one of their most expensive assets. I really feel honored when people are bringing me into their homes and giving me the responsibility to help them with a major transition in their lives," he says.
Ali is a certified yoga instructor who loves to travel and enjoy life. He is active with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the Asian Real Estate Association of America.
Shaneh-Abbas Jaffer studied Kinesiology at York University and during his time there began working as a Personal Trainer and started a small Personal Training business. After volunteering in various clinics throughout his undergraduate degree he learnt many rehabilitation protocols that he has used successfully with a variety of clientele. The degree in Kinesiology provided a strong background in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics coupled with training for various sports and chronic illnesses. After writing the exam to become a Registered Kinesiologist, Shaneh-Abbas pushed his business further to include a variety of services ranging from personal training in person and online, ergonomic analyses, and nutritional support. Over the last 2 years, he has worked in a variety of clinics and gyms across the Greater Toronto Area, provided ergonomic consultations for various types of workers and helped numerous individuals reach their personal health goals. One notable example was a client on a time crunch who was trying to lose 50lbs in 4 months prior to his fitness exam for a career in law enforcement. This individual, through hard work and dedication was able to lose 30lbs in 3 months just before Ramadhan settled in. Realistically speaking, an individual should aim to lose 0.5-2lbs a week for the weight to stay off. In extreme cases, athletes or individuals trying to reach a performance goal will sometimes need to do things out of the ordinary.
Nadia was born in the United States and grew up in the U.S., the Middle East and South Asia. She attributes her passion for immigration to her time traveling and living in different parts of the world and calling different countries her “home.” As a first generation American, the narratives surrounding migration and immigrants resonated with her from early on in her legal career. While building her professional resume, she focused on gaining expertise in the field of immigration law. With the establishment of her private practice, Nadia aims to pass on her expertise in this specialized area of law to clients like you. Individuals who want to roam and those who want to call this country home. While Nadia is based in New York City, she can provide immigration legal support to companies, organizations and individuals around the country and the world.
Ainy Haider-Shah has been a Maryland resident for over 20 years. Born and raised in central New York, she is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, and moved to Ellicott City over 18 years ago, where she lives with her family.
A communications professional and passionate parent volunteer with the Howard County public school system, Ainy participates on several committees, including the calendar committee and the Community Advisory Council. In the past year, she was selected to be on the board of the United Maryland Muslim Council, as well as a Community Leader for the 'Imagining Justice in Baltimore' series presented by the Institute for Islamic Christian Jewish Studies. In 2018, she was named the President of the Howard County Muslim Council president, the first woman to serve in that role.
Most recently, she won an acceptance to the Emerge Maryland candidate training program, where she will learn how to run for office and serve her constituents.
Dr. Skeena grew up in upstate New York. She attended McGill University and graduated with a degree in Software engineering school of computer science.
In 2009 Skeena graduated from Stony Brook University school of dental medicine. She completed a one year igeneral practice residency at Faxton St. Luke’s healthcare. After working as an associate for about 6 years she opened a dental practice focused on gentle dental care for the entire family. She completed further training in orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. Making a person smile more and improving their self esteem is invaluable and one of my favorite parts of dentistry.
Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP is nationally recognized leader in public health and special pathogen preparedness and response. She is Senior Director, System-wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal healthcare delivery system overseeing special pathogen preparedness and response efforts across 11 acute care hospitals in addition to post-acute/long-term care facilities and ambulatory care sites. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Graduate Biotechnology/BioDefense Program at the University of Maryland and Core Faculty in the National Ebola Training and Education Center (NETEC), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). In addition, Dr. Madad is an Alumni Fellow in the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security. Dr. Madad earned her Doctoral degree in Health Science with a concentration in Global Health from Nova Southeastern University, and Master of Science degree in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense and Biosecurity.
She has a strong background in academia, teaching in graduate, undergraduate and professional programs with courses ranging from advanced microbiology to bioterrorism and biosecurity. Dr. Madad has held various faculty appointments, including Assistant Professor, Deputy Chair and Director of Education for various academic institutions in MD, NY, and TX. Dr. Madad has a number of peer-reviewed articles, and has been a guest speaker at numerous scientific and medical conferences/workshops/webinars around the world. She was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal on pandemic preparedness along with other national public health figures. She serves on over five editorial boards and advising committees and councils, nationally and internationally.
Zahra is an Optometrist who works in private practice. Stumbling down a unique path through her career, she has been licensed in 3 countries to practice Optometry – the United Kingdom, Canada & the United States. From giving a child their first pair of glasses to treating an older gentleman with glaucoma – Zahra thoroughly enjoys her job & the flexibility it provides. She has volunteered in Africa – lending optometric services to the underserved.She got her Master’s in Optometry from Aston University in Birmingham, UK. She went on to get her Doctor of Optometry from New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA.
Encompassing the DOMore philosophy in health care management and philanthropy, and In partnership with my sisters We have opened 6 multi disciplinary medical offices throughout midtown Manhattan and the financial district.
Baqer moved from London to New York in 2014 to head up the Americas for Purity, a global award winning experiential marketing agency. With a Bachelors in Marketing, Masters in HR, and a decade’s worth of experience, Baqer has been able to establish the entity single handedly and develop A-list clients including Samsung, BMW, HBO, and major startup, Lime. Baqer has been fortunate enough to develop and execute major creative experiences at London 2012 and Rio 2018 Olympics, World Cup Football 2018 etc. Baqer is part of the British High Commission’s “Business is Great” program and is regularly invited to speak on panels to discuss UK-US transitions to help companies make that move. He is also an active member of the St. George’s Society, a British non-profit. A huge football (the one we play with our ‘feet’!) fan, Baqer is looking to develop the young guns of our community and as such taken up a coaching role recently.
Trenton Carl, originally from Houston, Texas, now resides in the Chicago metropolitan area with his wife. He graduated from DePaul University in 2011 with a BA in Islamic World Studies. At DePaul, he was on the board of the MSA and was the VP of DePaul’s Students for Justice in Palestine. After graduating, he worked in the Islamic World Studies program as a research and teaching assistant for Dr. Aminah McCloud. Currently, Trenton is a student of traditional Islamic studies at the Ahl al-Bayt Islamic Seminary. He is an editor of al-Sidrah, the seminary’s publication, and one of the facilitators for the seminary’s summer program, L.I.F.E. [Living Islam Faithfully and Ethically]. In addition to his work at the seminary, Trenton worked for two years as the Youth Director at the Irshad Learning Center in Naperville, IL, and is currently involved with several community education projects.
Zain Ali is a leader in strategy and innovation that has launched new global products, developed business alliances, and helped drive top-line growth for publicly traded and startup companies. He has developed a passion for B2B innovation related to financing, networks and the data that powers them. Currently, Zain is the leading Business Development and Strategy for APiO, a fintech startup, where he is responsible for sales, partnerships and product strategy.
Zain’s other passion is giving back to those in need, and he has been actively involved in a number of meaningful volunteer efforts. Zain also sits on the Board of Children’s Home Society of NJ, which serves 70,000 at-risk children and Muslims for Peace, an organization dedicated to peaceful community building and the organization of charitable events for children, the homeless, and disaster-affected people.
Ali is a manager in the Long Island Office of Marcum LLP, a national mid-sized accounting firm. Ali has been a tax consultant for over ten years and focuses his practice on High Net Worth individuals, small businesses, and private charitable foundations. He is involved in helping his client stay compliant with ever changing tax regulations while consulting with them to help them achieve their financial objectives and serving as their trusted advisor. Pairing his passion for financial planning with tax strategies provides him with the opportunity to put money back into his client’s pockets. Ali completed his undergraduate studies at Adelphi University and began his career at KPMG, LLP in their audit division. He later went on to obtain his Masters in Taxation (Hons) from SUNY Old Westbury. In his spare time, Ali enjoys reading and watching sports.
Shehryar Hussain: Shehryar has been working professionally for the past 9 years, and is currently a Technology Consultant with Avanade, which is a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft. Shehryar comes from a military household, and his father and grandfather both served in the Pakistan Army. As a result, Shehryar has been well-travelled within Pakistan and abroad. Shehryar had his primary education in London, secondary education in Pakistan, and College in Malaysia, receiving a BSc. Hons in Network Engineering from Coventry University. He now works in the United States. He enjoys playing video games, squash (beginner), is a car enthusiast, and loves to travel.
Shaheen Lakhani: A Physician Assistant for 19 years initially working in Primary Care and Women’s Health and has been specializing in Gastroenterology for the past 13 years. I am currently a hospital based practitioner working for a private GI practice. My focus on digestive Health and Nutrition also lends itself to my part time career as a health and wellness coach where I help I can help others who may be struggling with their weight and health (as I did) make healthier lifestyle choices and start to incorporate a fitness routine into their daily lifestyle.
Sameer Ladha: Sameer was born in Songea, Tanzania, grew up in London, England, and in New Jersey, USA. He is an attorney by profession, has worked at the United Nations, and in corporate law in the areas of corporate finance, project finance and mergers and acquisitions, in both New York and London. He subsequently pursued an MS in Bioethics, a field where his interests in law, medicine, ethics, public policy and religion converge. He is currently the Associate Director of the graduate program in Bioethics at Columbia University, teaches in the program, and is particularly interested in Islam’s evolving discourse in the field. He is an avid traveler, cyclist and enjoys spending time with his large family.
Salma Jaffer: Salma recieved her BA and BEd from Simon Fraser University in 2002. She started teaching in the Coquitlam School District and had experience teaching Kindergarten to Grade 7. In 2008, Salma moved to the Delta School District and has taught primarily grades 3 and 4. Her areas of speciality are around understanding behaviour and promoting an inquiry based teaching style within the classroom.
Salma’s teaching philosophy involves creating an atmosphere that is centered around each child’s specific needs, engaging learners by bringing their learning to life and facilitating a space that’s promotes critical and creative thinking in a collaborative setting.
Recently Salma has taken on leadership positions in her district that allow her to mentor new teachers in the district as well as facilitate collaboration amongst staff in her school. Her hope is to soon go back to university to work towards a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership.
Salma, along with her 2 colleagues, created a program that worked with North American Madrasah teachers. Together they explored basic teaching strategies and found ways to teach the material in meaningful ways. This program was under the NASIMCO umbrella and was implemented in 11 madaris in North America. When not teaching, planning lessons or thinking about teaching… Salma is busy exploring the beautiful outdoors in true West Coast style with her husband and 3 children.
Mohamed Haider: Mohamed Haider serves as a Sales Director for Europe at New Vision Display. He brings a combined 27 years of experience in more than 30 countries covering R&D, operations, manufacturing, technology transfer programs & sales and marketing for European, Asian & US-based companies. He received his BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA in Engineering Management, and has acquired numerous certifications in Leadership Training, Project Management, Six Sigma, Project Management and Quality Control. He is a Mentor at Share Ventures & is on the Board of Directors for Anjuman Wazifa Saadat O Momineen, a nonprofit organization that provides interest free educational loans.
For more information about Anjuman Wazifa, please visit http://www.anjumanwazifa.org/
Mir Hussain: Mir Hussain is in Admissions for Avalon University School of Medicine. His role at Avalon University is to assist with the admissions process and recruit those students that are looking to pursue their MD degree.
For more information about Avalon University School of Medicine, please visit: https://avalonu.org/
Reza Ladak: Reza Ladak is currently an Account Supervisor at Harrison and Star, an advertising agency for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. He specializes in developing and executing strategic and tactical marketing plans for some of the world’s leading Pharma and BioTech companies, focusing on the areas of Oncology and Neurology.
Reza has a Bachelors of Sciences degree in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Business from the Univeristy of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He has over 8 years of experience, working with clients ranging from corporate, non-profit, and advocacy settings.
Amina Al-Sadi: Amina Al-Sadi got her start in radio at KUOW, Seattle’s NPR affiliate station, as a Weekday High School Intern in 2007. After finishing her degree at the University of Washington, she returned to call-screen, volunteer, intern, fill-in, and produce for the shows Weekday and Week in Review. She helped launch KUOW’s daily news show The Record in 2012.
Amina was a RIAS Berlin Fellow in 2016. She is interested in how policies and technology are changing our lives and culture. She likes to explore the curiosities of the changing Puget Sound region in the stories she tells as a producer for The Record.
Aaliya Sheriff: Aaliya Sheriff is a graphic designer and artist in Vancouver, British Columbia. She received a Bachelor of Applied Design from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In 2012, Aaliya received a Masters of Design in Graphic Branding and Identity from the UAL – London College of Communications in London, U.K. She has worked as a freelance graphic designer for almost 8 years, working with different communities and organizations to create resources and products in secular and religious education. She currently works for REACH Orton Gillingham Learning Centre. Aaliya has continued to take on freelance projects in her spare time and is also exploring her artistic style with custom hand-made cards and other products on Instagram under the name CardsbyAaliya.
Bilal Bokhari: Bilal is a senior consultant in the Protiviti IT Consulting practice, specializing in penetration testing. Bilal is a technical resource and has performed numerous information security assessments and penetration tests across the energy, telecom, retail, financial and manufacture industry. He has also assisted clients for a number of years using his information security knowledge and experience by providing strategic short, medium and long-term recommendations, while also providing tactical recommendations to specialists, to improve the security posture of organizations.
Prior to joining Protiviti, Bilal gained over seven years of experience in the areas of web application security engineering, network penetration, and vulnerability assessment during his time with PricewaterhouseCoopers, RSM US and Alert Logic.
He received his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Hons, in Network Computing from Coventry University, U.K.
Mujtaba Murji: Mujtaba is currently a product manager at Bloomberg focusing on performance measurement tools. He works closely with many of the top institutional investment firms in the world to improve product offering and drive revenue. He has over 8 years of experience working with investment professionals, portfolio managers and performance analysts. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Mujtaba was with Barclays’ Portfolio and Risk Analytics group.
Mujtaba holds a bachelor’s degree in Econ-Math from Columbia University. He is a CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) charter holder and a member of the NYSSA (New York Society of Security Analysts).
Azra Naqvi: Azra Naqvi is the Principal and Founding Member of Hadi School of Excellence, a private Islamic school in Schaumburg, Illinois. She has served in this role for the past 15 years. Azra received a Bachelors degree in Accounting from DeVry University prior to joining Hadi School. She received a Masters degree in Education Leadership from Argosy University, and is currently working towards a doctorate from National Louis University. Her future school is to serve the educational profession by taking an active role in the professional organization, as well as transforming the quality of education, at Hadi School.
Fatim Walli: Fatim is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and an Ontario Certified Teacher with 10 plus years of experience working with children, families and professionals in various learning environments. She currently works with Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, an assigned service provider agency through the City of Toronto’s Every Child Belongs service, as a Special Needs Resource Consultant. It’s primary purpose is to support child care programs in building their capacity to support children with various needs to participate in the program. Planning and goal setting begins from the view of the child/children considering their development, social-emotional well-being and the diversity of the famly, home and community.
Prior to this position, Fatim worked with Newcomer families in the Outreach and Family Services Department in programs such as Prenatal Parenting, Healthy Beginnings for Healthy Babies, Early ON, School Readiness and Caregiver Support Network.
She holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Ryerson University, a B.Ed from The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto and a M.A.from Ryerson University in Early Childhood Studies.
Komail Lakha: Komail lakha is a Senior Recruiter/Talent Sourcer at Target Corporation. Komail earned his BS degree in Finance and Communication at the University of Minnesota. He has worked in corporate capacity for over 7 years.
At Target, he started his career in Supply Chain for 3 years and transitioned into HR as a Recruiter for over 4 years. Komail has worked supporting the following industries in recruiting- Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Technology and Pharmacy. He highly suggests you shop at Target for all your needs!
Sajjad Haiderali: Sajjad is a network engineer with over six years of experience specializing in packet-optical transport platform. He is currently employed with Juniper Networks working as a technical support engineer, assisting vendors globally with everyday tasks such as implementing and scaling optical networks, and troubleshooting issues that subsequently arise. The unique position of working as a support engineer affords him the ability to work with clients and engineering teams, pursuing his passion of mentoring clients and being mentored by industry veterans. Sajjad attended Western University for Software Engineering and has been working in the networking industry ever since.
Heena Musabji: The first person to volunteer with Pro Bono Network and one of the individuals most responsible for its growth, Heena took on the role of PBN Board President prior to coming on as staff. She is simultaneously the Principal Attorney at the Musabji Law Offices, focusing on immigration and nationality law.
Previously, Ms. Musabji was a partner at Amal Law Group heading the immigration department. She was CAIR-Chicago’s first Staff Attorney, counseling its constituency on civil rights and immigration. During and after law school, Heena served as the Director of the Sex Trafficking Opposition and Prevention Project with the International Human Rights Law Institute were she worked on legislation and advocacy of minors forced into sex tourism in Costa Rica. She worked with the National Immigrant Justice Center throughout law school, and continues with the organization as a volunteer.
She recently served as Vice President of the Board for the Muslim Civil Liberties Union, and is also on the board at her mosque. Heena has been on the board at West Suburban Montessori School and at the Terraces of Oak Park. She holds B.S. in Finance from Siena College and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Alijawad Hasham: Alijawad is an actuary with over eight years of (re)insurance experience and a focus on financial reporting, modeling and reinsurance. He is currently at Swiss Re leading the Principle-Based Reporting implementation team tasked with ensuring readiness from a pricing, valuation, financial reporting, governance and systems point of view. Alijawad has served various roles in actuarial transformation, model validation and corporate modeling teams where he converted legacy platforms, validated models, and analyzed business portfolios. Prior to joining Swiss Re, Alijawad was with a large actuarial consultancy and audit firm.
Alijawad holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a concentration in actuarial science and finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Asad Raza: Over 10 years of experience in designing and deploying healthcare strategies and solutions. I specialize in identifying and analyze needs, creating unique solutions for profitable outcomes and implementing solutions across both fee-for-service and fee-for-value healthcare business landscapes. Currently work as Senior Business Innovation and Strategy Manager for Medtronic plc. M.S. & B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University with concentrations in Solution Design, Voice of Customer & Business, Analytics & Intelligence. Minors in Business, Mathematics and Communication
For information please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asad-raza-695b0768/
Arif Soonasra: Arif Soonasra is a medical director at the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. Arif earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA. Arif has over 10 years of experience in medical information, medical education, and currently in medical affairs where he has been for nearly 4 years. Although not the typical pharmacist role, Arif has been able to apply his education to the various roles he has worked in over the years. Since he graduated, he has seen and experienced the many different opportunities a pharmacy degree can be applied to.
Zainab Khalfan: Zainab has been a pediatric nurse for 11 years and a certified lactation counselor for the past 3 years. She graduated with my BSN in 2007 and began my career on the pediatric med/surg unit at PennState Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. A few years later I moved back to Allentown and started working on the Pediatric unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Currently she works at a pediatrician’s office.
Abbas Kanji: Abbas Kanji has over 18 years of experience in investment advisory and real estate direct investments. In his various roles Abbas was directly responsible for the acquisition of properties, asset management, planning & monitoring of property renovations and establishing & maintaining relationships with institutional investors and lenders. Throughout his career Abbas has acquired and/or had oversight over 9,000 multifamily units and participated in over $1.4 billion in real estate transactions. Abbas received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University (B.A. Economics) and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Kazima Wajahat: Kazima Wajahat has a bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology with a minor in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Communication Disorders. Everything she has ever desired to accomplish in life has always revolved around her passion for children.
Kazima has been practicing as an SLP for 8 years in various settings from inpatient, outpatient, private practice and schools. In 2017, trying to fulfill a need for high quality Islamic children’s books, she wrote and published a book called “Mikaeel and Malaika The Quest for Love” and conducts presentations and story times at various Islamic schools and Masjids. Book overview is here: www.flowersofmygarden.com
Recently, Kazima began an Instagram series called “For the Love of Learning” where she discuss pertinent issues such as child language development and learning, parenting, and education approaches. Through this platform she offers personal consults and coaches parents and educators based on their concerns. Her Instagram is: flowers_of_my_garden.
This past month Kazima began a blog that touches on the same topics: https://www.flowersofmygarden.com/theblog/
Dr. Jawaad Sheriff: Dr. Jawaad Sheriff is a Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University. He is also collaborates with the University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, Oregon Health & Science University, and Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy.
Jawaad graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Sciences in Mechanical Engineering and received a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship and research scientist training with the Biofluids Research Group, in which he serves as the Lab Manager, in addition to his duties as a research professor.
Jawaad works on a variety of research projects, including evaluation of clotting risk in cardiovascular devices (blood pumps, artificial heart, and prosthetic valves), development of mathematical models to predict clotting risk in cardiovascular diseases and devices, and comparison of blood platelet response in adults and newborns. Jawaad belongs to professional organizations such as the Biomedical Engineering Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the New York Academy of Science. He has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, authored a book chapter, and presented at several regional, national, and international conferences.
Jawaad enjoys giving back to the community, especially when it comes to mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers. In addition to training high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in the lab, Jawaad gives guest lectures at Stony Brook University and other local institutions. He is a member of the Umoja Outreach Foundation uMentor team, Stony Brook Alumni mentors, and assists the University of Buffalo in local recruitment efforts. Off-campus, he enjoys spending time with family, long-distance running, traveling, and writing the occasional blog post.
Sameer Tejani: Sameer Tejani is a software engineer currently working on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform – Azure. He previously worked on other Microsoft products including SQL Server and Windows.
Sameer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Prior to that he studied at the City College of New York where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.
Sameer spent multiple years volunteering at IMAN – a local Islamic community organization in Seattle – where he served on the Executive Committee and taught at the Sunday School. In his spare time, Sameer enjoys road biking and hiking in the Pacific Northwest. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Greater Seattle area.
Berak Hussain: Berak Hussain is the International Students Counsellor at the Health and Counselling clinic at a local University in Ottawa. She has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Educational Counselling from the University of Ottawa, and has been counselling students for 9 years now. At the Health and Counselling Services, she helps students from all sorts of backgrounds through issues ranging from anxiety, depression, stress, culture shock, identity challenges, suicide, relationships issues and more. Berak has participated in many counselling- and community-related events, presenting on the topic of Islamic Counselling to local practitioners over the years, in the hopes of sharing common ideas on how to best support faith-based clients. Berak believes that counselling is her calling and that her desire to help people is not through the cell from the medical point of view, but rather through the soul. With the help of university students, Berak spearheaded the successful Serenity Islamic Mental Health Awareness initiative with monthly psychoeducational presentations that lead up to the 3 day conference in May 2016. This Conference was named by the Canadian media as Canada’s’ first Muslim Mental Health Conference. International media such as Karbala TV also took notice of the Serenity Conference and reported on the success of such a groundbreaking attempt of breaking the silence on mental health in the Muslim community: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=CvV1L5qQyL8&feature=youtu.be
Berak also presented on the 5 Ws of Accessing Mental Health Resources at the first Canadian Muslim Mental Health Conference in Toronto with the Canadian Muslim Medical Association. She has also created a Facebook/Instagram forum called “The Muslim Counsellor” to discuss and explore these issues and works on video series exploring relevant issues for Muslims living in the West through the lens of Mental Health.
She completed a whirlwind U.K & Australia (2017) & UK (2018) tour holding seminars, workshops, live and TV interviews discussing and exploring Muslim mental health in the Muslim communities abroad.
Allireza Alloo: Dr. Allireza Alloo is a board certified dermatologist and Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. He is also the Associate Program Director for the Dermatology Residency Training Program as well as the Co-Director of the Inpatient Consultation Service at Northwell Health.
Dr. Alloo graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior and went on to attend medical school at Harvard Medical School. He completed his dermatology training at the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program, where he served as Chief Resident in his final year.
Dr. Alloo’s clinical and research interests include complex medical dermatology, inpatient dermatology, autoimmune blistering diseases, and cutaneous toxicities to chemotherapy. Dr. Alloo belongs to various organizations including the American Academy of Dermatology, the Association of Professors in Dermatology, the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists, and the Medical Dermatology Society. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed literature, authored several book chapters, as well as given talks at local, regional, and national dermatology conferences.
Dr. Alloo is otherwise dedicated to improving access to dermatologic care for the underserved, participating in community service, and enhancing resident and medical student education and mentorship within dermatology. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Find more information at https://umojaoutreach.org/mentor/talkshow/prior-talk-shows/may-19-2018-2-3/