uMentor Talk Show

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.