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.