As a rising junior at Depaul University, majoring in Political Science and minoring in philosophy. Safiyah hopes to pursue a career in either law or politics that allows her to advocate for racial justice, wealth equality and better human engagement.

At the young age of 12 she was chosen to begin Philosophy tutelage by University of Chicago  Dr. Philosophy Christan Kronsted. This continued till her graduation from Ogden International Baccalaureate program.  She used these skills to give back to youth organizations and share her knowledge of critical thinking and analysis with children in underserved communities.

In 2019 as a Junior at Ogden the breadth and scope of her insight caught the attention of Wendy Sternberg, Founder and Creator of Genesis at the Crossroads. Through Ms Sternberg’s guidance she was able to deepen her exploration and knowledge of peace and coalition building through communication and the arts. It is through that gift of knowledge Safiyah was chosen to be a founding member of the Mayor’s Youth Commission which worked to highlight the needs and voices of the youth in Chicago. Through this organization she helped create the “My Chi. My Future.” program, which connects at risk young Chicagoans with much needed after-school/summer programs, jobs, and college resources.          

As a longstanding volunteer of the Inner-City Muslim Acition Network, a non-profit organization that promotes social justice, health and wellness, and the arts in Chicago’s urban communitees, especially on the south side. She gained a sought after internship that allowed her to work in community outreach while combating food deserts in low income communities. In this role she would engage with individuals from multiple faith traditions and cultural backgrounds. Through the knowledge gained with IMAN Safiyah was awarded acceptance and a scholarship to the 2022 Depaul Interfaith Leadership Delegation. Where members will travel to Israel to engage in interfaith dialogue and cultural awareness to ignite a deeper knowledge of the muslim,jewish and christian communites.

Feeling the best way to serve was through advocacy as a senior in 2020 ,in the heart of pandemic Safiyah set her sights on a Political Science career and took an internship with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s Office. Gaining knowledge of campaign outreach and strategies allowed her to delve into the best practices of political analysis of the political systems.

Safiyah credited this experience when she was awarded the 2023 Identities Abroad South African Race, Ethnicity & Housing Scholarship.  While in South Africa she will compare and contrast the South African Aparthied system with that of the American Jim Crow. 

Eisha currently attends Minerva Schools at KGI, a highly selective university based in San Francisco.  She aspires to create social impact through the intersection of technology, education, and entrepreneurship. While at Minerva, she will experience her undergraduate four years of education in six different countries around the world, namely the US, UK, Korea, Germany, Argentina, and Taiwan. She currently works for the Admissions Office at Minerva where she assesses applicants for their written, creative and analytical skills. She is also a Research and Content Development Intern for RoboTerra, a Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence and robotics education company.

Eisha loves writing and has had her works published by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Teen Times Magazine, and The Tide. She maintains a personal blog called The Progress Element with which she mentors high school students by sharing both global opportunities and career advice. Sheis a proud graduate of the 2019 Genesis Academy Summer Institute, wherein she explored and deepened her passion for journalism and peacebuilding. In 2016, as a high school student at Roots Millennium Future World School based in Lahore, Pakistan, Eisha founded Sync City, an international youth-based organization focused on solving issues through social action projects and online campaigns. In 2018, she was selected to represent her school in a meeting with the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.  She is also an alumna of the prestigious US State Department-sponsored Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program. She was recognized by the US Department of State for the successful completion of 100+ community service hours in Washington, DC during her student-exchange year. Eisha was selected to be a Shea Moisture Community Commerce Scholar at Babson College and was the youngest participant of Kectil, the Developing Countries Youth Leadership Program.  She subsequently served as a Kectil program mentor for 623 students worldwide.

Eisha is motivated to use her diverse global experiences to guide her in creating a future wherein youth are best prepared through quality education for technological advancements in this rapidly evolving fourth industrial revolution.

Volunteer, Akhuwat – NGO working with marginalized LGBTQ communities

Roheena recently graduated from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi with an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences and Liberal Arts. While pursuing her major in psychology, she took on the role of research assistant in the Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts. During her tenure there, she worked on two research projects, one of which revolves around behavioral psychology that navigates the veiling practice among Pakistani Muslims; her work is soon to be published.

From community welfare activities to environmental sustainability projects, Roheena has spent a considerable time giving back to society. In 2018, she represented Pakistan in a global competition wherein her team presented a product idea based on the notion of sanitation without water. The proposed product was a diffusible ball that could be used in toilets as a substitute for water, thereby saving billions of liters of water annually. The product idea turned out to be a potentially promising solution to global water shortage issues and placed in the top three ideas presented worldwide.  

She is currently employed at a leading consumer packaged goods company as the Group HR Excellence and Innovation Lead, where she works on corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, employee engagement, corporate communication, and public relations. She is also a strong advocate for nurturing emotional and mental well-being in the workplace.  She plans to attend graduate school for her Master’s Degree in Psychology in the near future.  

Roheena seeks inspiration from the smallest of things and aspires to inspire the biggest of changes. In addition to being an alumna of the flagship 2015 Genesis Academy Summer Institute, she was also selected as the Junior Staff Member for the 2017 Genesis Academy Summer Institute where she contributed towards participants’ personal growth along with their leadership development. She embraces Genesis’ mission and passionately looks forward to dedicating her efforts to the Genesis Academy and Peace Hub in the near future.