BIOGRAPHY

UPBRINGING

Being a first-generation American citizen, my family’s Pakistani and Indian culture has shaped who I am today. Growing up in Houston I was exposed to one of the most diverse cities in America. My parents always instilled in my siblings and me the importance of doing what’s right, working with integrity, respecting others, and to give back to the community that had given so much to us.

My parents enrolled my sister and I to an all-girls Catholic school, called Duchesne Academy. I attended Duchesne from the age of four until I graduated High School. Although my family is not Christian we learned so much about the ability to respect each other’s beliefs and the importance of education. I attended Duchesne for 14 years, and their mission of forming individuals with a deep respect for intellectual values, a social awareness which impels to action, and a personal and active faith in God aligned with what my parents had hoped for their children when coming to America.

In high school my passion for service began to grow, I was Class Treasurer all four years in High School; I served as Model UN Secretary and World Affairs Club President. Once a week we would go off campus to volunteer at a local elementary school to help teachers in their classrooms. Working with kids became my passion.

COLLEGE YEARS

After graduating from Duchesne, I attended Houston Baptist University. My major was interdisciplinary studies, and I had a concentration in Math. I knew I always wanted to work with students and give back to my community. My advisor then encouraged me to take a few business classes since it looked like something I was interested in. I took courses in Management in and Negotiations and I was hooked. I added a concentration of business to my degree, and began to become aware of the world of Public Service and Administration.  It became a perfect fit; I was going to be able to combine my passion of education and service with my newfound passion in management.

INTEREST IN PUBLIC SERVICE

After graduation, I began serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA. VISTA stands for Volunteers In Service To America, and is a program within the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). I served during the VISTA program's 50th anniversary, giving me the opportunity to meet inspiring people from around the country, including Wendy Spencer CNCS's CEO in 2015. (pictured above)

I was placed to be a VISTA member at CollegeCommunityCareer (CCC) a Houston area nonprofit. My role was to expand the organization's outreach to provide low‐income, underserved students with educational and economic opportunities. I was able to combine my passion for working with kids and management to help the organization build capacity and sustainability, so it could grow and reach more students in the greater‐Houston area. As the Financial Aid and College Success Coordinator I was able to give presentations to families and students to help them learn how they can achieve their goal of receiving a college education.

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Working at CCC ignited my passion to learn more about policies surrounding the education field and how to successfully mange education programs. At the Bush School, I am in the Public Management Track concentrating in Education Policy and Management. After graduating from the Bush School, I hope to have a greater impact on the education community than before, and to make a difference in the lives of many students in the future.