Fellows 2017-2018

Benazir comes from a home that holds strong family values of unconditional love, patience and unity. Another point highly emphasized during her upbringing was education, correspondingly she is a strong proponent of learning being a lifelong process. To this end, she acquired her bachelors degree in finance at the USC Marshall School of Business and later returned to USC for her masters at the Annenberg School for Communication. She hopes to further her educational reach in the near future. While lifelong learning ranks high for Benazir, so does spirituality and understanding the true essence of the soul. Throughout her life, both by family and by faith, immense significance was placed on the wise use of the intellect that is reflected in generosity towards the less fortunate along with practicing tolerance and fortitude in the face of adversity. In line with these core values, Benazir finds fulfillment in traveling to continually learn more about the world and volunteering in different capacities ~ all the while carrying an open heart and serene smile.
  • Benazir comes from a home that holds strong family values of unconditional love, patience and unity. Another point highly emphasized during her upbringing was education, correspondingly […]
  • Zeibaa Qidwai is proudly a native Angeleno, born and raised in Los Angeles. She comes from a mixed South Asian background. She grew up in a […]
  • Multiples times a week Sani Abdul-Jabbar is asked if he is related to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Well, he is not! Sani is an entrepreneur, and an expert […]
  • When I was a student at NYU Film School in 1981, I got a summer internship teaching a student film workshop at the Ozanam Cultural Center […]
  • Ramy El-Etreby is a writer, performer, and arts-based educator-facilitator from Los Angeles, California. A contributing author to Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex and […]
  • Sean Hecht is the father of two teenage boys, the husband of restorative justice practitioner Rebecca Weiker, and a faculty member in the Emmett Institute on […]
  • Hedab Tarifi was born in Gaza, Palestine. She lived in Kuwait until after the first Gulf War, when she moved to the US. Hedab holds a […]
  • Matan Gold believes in the necessity and decency of difficult conversations. He encourages everyone to listen to Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and read Alice Munro. He […]