Home > ISNA Fellows 2009
Syed Abrar Ahmed, Harvard Divinity School
| “I see myself filling the gap between the cultural divide of Muslims and the West. Further, this line of work helps dispel fears of religions through interfaith hospitality across religious lines, and establishing diplomatic relations in a multi-cultural and religious society.”
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Syed-Abrar Ahmed recently graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Religion, and is now pursing a Master’s of Divinity and Nonprofit Management at Harvard Divinity School. Originally from India, Abrar moved to Southern California in 1999. Since then, he has taken an active role in the Muslim community by contributing to a variety of civic and cultural Muslim organizations such as Al-Talib Magazine – the Muslim Student News magazine at UCLA, Why Islam, and the Da’wah Committee of UCLA. Abrar feels fortunate to have served as the Muslim student-delegate to the University Religious Conference, a UCLA affiliate interfaith organization, and selected as one of two Muslims for the 2008 Diversity and Exploration Program at Harvard Divinity School. Abrar will be interning with the Islam in the West Program, at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. This program aims to provide resources for government administrations, teachers, civil servants, politicians, media, and others to promote greater understanding of Islam and Muslims in the West. As an ISNA Fellow, Abrar hopes to gain the professional skills needed to further strengthen Muslim philanthropy in North America. Having worked with various community-based projects at the UCLA campus, he hopes to work in a setting to benefit the fellowship program, fellows, and other non-profit organizations within the religious community, especially those dealing with the management facet.
Shahzan Akber, IUPUI
| “I learned throughout the fellowship and through my education and my internship experience that it’s vital to have a full education in this field.” |
Shahzan Akber is currently completing a Master's degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship from Indiana University. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA in 2002, where he served as President of the Muslim Students Association and helped co-found the Intercollegiate Muslim Students Association of Georgia. Currently, Shahzan works as a Program Manager for New Product Development at Rolls-Royce Corporation in Indianapolis, IN. He also serves as Vice-President and Director of Operations for Legacy Institute, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Islamic studies in the United States, and where he has pursued Arabic and Islamic studies locally.Through his work in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy, Shahzan hopes to be a part of reviving the rich Islamic tradition of institution building for the social well being of all.
Shuaib Hanief, Georgia State
| “My goal of establishing a long term monetary source for the many worthy Muslim non-profit institutions is one of the many reasons for seeking an academic degree in Philanthropy.”
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Shuaib Hanief has served as a Marketing Manager and as an Engineering Manager in his career. He is currently a PhD student at Georgia Institute of Technology and has a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He is passionate about working in the local non-profit sector and has led programs related to education for a local refugee community, mentoring, and directed fund raising efforts. He enjoys learning new subjects, and is currently focusing on learning Arabic.Shuaib brings a wealth of experience, skills, and motivation as a volunteer with local Muslim Nonprofits. His experience with Muslim non-profit institutions has helped him to realize that a formal education in non-profit management can help the Muslim community tremendously. By participating in the fellowship program, Shuaib intends to further his skills in establishing and managing non-profit institutions that serve to advance the American Muslim community.
Sana Malik, John Hopkins
| “As human beings, we are here on Earth as caretakers of each other. This firm belief has led me to want to help others in all aspects of life. By exploring the universal problems that transcend all barriers of skin tone, cultural practices, or religious beliefs there is a strong opportunity to unify all of humanity by the common struggles and triumphs we share.”
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Sana Malik graduated in 2004 from the Schreyer's Honors College of Pennsylvania State University where she served as president of the Muslim Students’ Association and also was recognized as a Student Marshal, one of the University’s highest academic honors. During her undergraduate years she was selected to travel to South Africa through the NIH’s International Center Program. Through her work with HIV infected women and children, she discovered her passion for improving the health and social well-being of vulnerable populations. After completing a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Common wealth University, Sana was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to travel to Jordan. Here, she worked with Iraqi refugees as an associate for the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s (JHSPH) Center for Refugee and Disaster Response. She also received the opportunity to work with UNICEF and local agencies, including orphanages and health care centers. Sana’s goal is to work for a non-profit organization where she can facilitate the education and disbursement of information on significant issues regarding maternal and child health and survival amongst refugees and displaced populations. In order to achieve this goal she intends to combine her skills in the fields of Social Work with the skills she will acquire as a Fellow and student in Public Health at Johns Hopkins. As a public health social worker, she hopes to develop, manage, and implement health promotion and health intervention policies in health and social service agencies in America and across the world.
Saad Omar, IU Bloomington
| “I believe that I was blessed to learn many skills through my heavy involvement with the Muslim community but I would like to solidify these strengths through a standardized curriculum and move from youthful activism to sophisticated institutional development.”
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Saad Omar was born and raised in Fishers, IN. Throughout his childhood, Saad was heavily involved with youth activism, serving as the Chair of the Muslim Youth of North America. Since childhood, he has also studied Islamic studies including three summers at the Rihla Intensive with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Saad is beginning his second year at Indiana University Bloomington’s Master of Public Affairs program. He has an undergraduate degree in English from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During his time at Georgetown University, Saad founded the Ghazali Project; an initiative that helps to facilitate the eager reader's quest for heightened Islamic literacy. Currently, the Ghazali Project includes over 1500 members in 35 countries around the world. Saad is also the Director and Coordinator of the Poetic Vision Tour, a critically acclaimed music program that brings positive music to Muslim and Non-Muslim communities across the U.S.Saad sees this degree in philanthropic studies as a means to facilitate a career dedicated to service. He believes that the master’s degree coursework will assist him in acquiring the practical high-level skills required to work with excellence, while the internship and service based projects will help him stay grounded to the grass-root level work, which has always been his central passion. Saad is also passionate about pursuing a degree in Philanthropy because he would like to meet and network with like-minded people. He sees the importance of learning from others and creating meaningful alliances.
Fady Qaddoura, IU Indianapolis
| “I want to be a change agent who can inspire and influence others (Muslims and non Muslims) to be better contributing citizens who care about the society and who believe in the Human family (regardless of faith).”
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Fady Qaddoura is in his first year at Indiana University’s Master of Public Policy. He has a degree in Computer Science from the University of New Orleans and has most recently worked for Muslim American Society (MAS) in Houston, a pioneering Islamic organization, and reform movement that aims to uplift individuals, families, and communities. For the past eight years, Fady has worked extensively in the non-profit field as a volunteer, development associate, board member, educator, mentor, and community organizer. However, he began to recognize that his work in these organizations focused primarily on the delivery of direct services to constituents, rather than on the management and leadership role that all nonprofits need. This realization motivated him to re-enter higher education in order to gain practical skills in accounting, management, leadership, human resources, program evaluation and other tools necessary to effectively manage non-profit organizations.Fady interns with the ISNA Development Foundation and is working on projects involving annual fund management, evaluation and analysis of donor operations and donor cultivation and stewardship.
Sarah Thompson, IU Bloomington
| “The ability to work directly with ISNA or another related nonprofit during the internship component of the fellowship provides the opportunity for me to practically apply the coursework I have taken so far … in an environment that serves the vision that all of my non-profit work attempts to fulfill.”
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Sarah Thompson is a native of Indiana who received her bachelor’s degree in 2005 in Gender Studies and Business Management. Sarah has dedicated the past several years towards skill building, training, education, and hands on work necessary for her to strengthen the quality of education in America, youth leadership and the non-profit community. Upon graduation, she entered the Teach for America program in Charlotte, North Carolina where she taught 8th grade Language Arts and U.S. History to middle schoolers. After finishing her contract with Teach for America, she moved to Washington D.C. and taught pre-school for the next year. It was the extreme inequities she witnessed in inner city public school systems that motivated her to apply for graduate school in non-profit management. Sarah is enrolled at Indiana Universities’ School of Public and Environmental Affairs and it is her goal to use her graduate degree to eventually open her own non-profit school. This school will utilize a creative curriculum rooted in critical literacy, the arts, and student leadership and empowerment.Currently, Sarah interns with ISNA Development Foundation as well as Global Gifts, a local non-profit that works with people in developing regions of the world who lack the opportunity to earn a sustainable living. She looks forward to the opportunity to learn from others in the non-profit field and to network with them to strengthen her skills as a non-profit leader in her local community.
Homayra Yusufi, UC Berkeley
| “I feel a personal responsibility to promote positive change. The most proactive way in which I can achieve my goals is by pursuing my education to the fullest extent and utilizing my education to find solutions to current issues.”
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Homayra Yusufi is a Master of Public Policy student at the UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. She graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Most recently, Homayra was employed as the Administrative and Membership Coordinator for the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). In addition to her administrative and accounting tasks, Homayra has organized numerous community awareness and interfaith programs. To increase awareness of Islam in San Diego, she has participated in several interviews for local television news stations, magazines, and newspapers. Additionally, she has fully organized two annual banquets which raise the majority of the funds needed to sustain the chapter. Community outreach and grassroots activism is Homayra’s passion. One of her highest goals has been to promote diversity and mitigate discrimination through dialogue and understanding. As a fellow, Homayra hopes to gain the tools and knowledge necessary to focus her graduate studies towards bettering the state of Muslims in America. She further hopes that the hands on skills she will attain will give her the experience necessary to become a leader in the non-profit sector.
Najah Zaaeed, Syracuse University
| “A degree in Philanthropic Studies will strengthen my position to be an advocate for social services. In other words, this education will enhance the credibility of my profession and will reinforce the opportunities that I can provide to the Muslim Community.”
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Najah Zaaeed is in her final year at Syracuse University pursuing a dual Master’s degree in Social Work and Public Administration. She is currently interning with the Islamic Learning Foundation, in Syracuse, NY under the guidance of Imam Ahmed Kobiesy. Her work as an intern will include education and sensitivity training to social workers in the local community, and refugee community programs and services.Najah obtained her undergraduate degree in Paralegal Education from Myers University, in Cleveland, Ohio. Najah comes to ISNA with a professional background in financing and real estate; she is a licensed real estate broker in both Michigan and Ohio. Last year, Najah interned with ISNA’s Youth Services and Programs Department, primarily focusing on projects involving refugee youth. Najah has found that the Fellowship has provided practical learning experiences and mentoring opportunities. She hopes the Fellowship will continue to provide opportunities where she can play a role in advancing the quality of life in her local community. She intends to build strong networks amongst philanthropists that will help her to continue making a difference in the lives of Muslims within her local community and across the U.S.