Mashal Ali

Born in London and grew up there, Houston and Doha, Qatar, Mashal is a senior at UCLA. She is studying Geography and Environmental Studies with a keen interest in long-term sustainability.  She is also the president of the Pakistani Student Association at UCLA.  She works part-time as an office administrator at a local non-profit, Friends of Ballona Wetlands, in Playa Del Rey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Haroon

Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Sarah graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Textiles & Clothing (Emphasis in Marketing and Economics) and worked in the fashion industry as a buyer/merchandiser for American Apparel Inc. and ModCloth Inc. She currently works at Wasatch Company, a wholesale distributor of hospitality, food service, and health care textiles, focusing on import order management and product development. She is a creative spirit and enjoys sewing, embroidery, and design (interiors and apparel). She is interested in non-profit work and volunteers her time towards Little World Community Organization (LWCO), which delivers basic education and handcraft skills to women in rural villages of northern Pakistan by selling their handmade products in America.

 

 

 

 

 

Soaliha Lakhani

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Soaliha has a Bachelors in Accounting and Marketing from California State University, Fullerton. Looking to pursue further graduate studies, Soaliha’s greatest ambition is to go into politics to help humanity. Having founded and lead the PSA at CSUF, Soaliha hopes to continue to participate in organizations in Orange County to help the larger community. Currently, she works at the Walt Disney Corporation as a Workforce Planning Associate. Alongside her full time job, Soaliha is the Youth Representative for MONA and a Board Member for AMWEC.

 

 

 

 

 

Tasneem Noor

Born in Pakistan, raised there, in India, and in United Arab Emirates, Tasneem moved to Los Angeles when she was a junior in high school.  She attended UCLA for both her Bachelors in English, and Masters in Education in Student Affairs.  Now, as part of the student affairs division at Cal State Los Angeles, she is working with the student government to support student programming and advocacy based initiatives. Through various on campus and off campus initiatives, she continues to be involved in social justice and diversity trainings for the students. Through these trainings she facilitates dialogue and activities to raise self-awareness and understanding of different communities. She also sits on the board for Young-MALAC (Young Muslim Americans Leaders Advisory Council) as the Programs Manager. In this role, she hopes to use her skills to develop a diversity leadership training and retreat with a focus on faith and inter-faith dialogue.

 

 

 

 

Rumaisa Rahman

Born and raised in Omaha, NE, it has always been Rumaisa’s mission to find a way to balance both East and West cultures. Rumaisa is the CEO and Founder of an Entertainment Co. called RU ENTERTAINMENT. (http://www.ruentertainment.com) Promoting South Asian and Middle Eastern talent in Film, Fashion, Music, Sports and Entertainment. Rumaisa has been residing in the Los Angeles area for almost 10 years. now, and has been working in the Film/Entertainment Industry for over 12 years. Rumaisa is a strong believer in breaking stereotypes and misconceptions in all of the work that she does, doing her fair part in staying active within the community working with various non-profits and other community members.  Rumaisa is proud to have been 1 in 24 participants in NewGround's:  Muslim and Jewish Partnership for Change 2012/2013 Fellowship Program.  Last year Rumaisa was asked by Former Consul General of Pakistan Riffat Masood to serve as an organizer for the first ever Pakistani American Young Professionals Conference to be held in Los Angeles.  She has continued to carry on the tradition by spearheading the conference for the second year in a row. In 2010, Rumaisa visited Pakistan after 19 years and filmed a short piece.  Her desire to visit was caused after the recent floods. Rumaisa was tired of the negative media which was shown towards Pakistan.  So instead, she decided to take a cameraman and capture the beauty of Pakistan in which she interviewed various prominent people in Pakistan as well as locals.  Interviews included:  Imran Khan (Politician Ex-Cricketer), Atif Aslam (Singer), Arieb Azar (Singer), Huma and Amir Adnan (Fashion Designers), Todd Shea (CDRS – Non Profit), and many others.  She spent her time devoted to traveling and filming. Rumaisa encourages others to get involved in their community. A small amount can make a large difference!

 

 

 

Shahana Shah

Born and raised in Orange County, Shahana is the youngest child of two siblings and considers her relationship with her family to be the most fundamental element to her character.  She works as an Academic Advisor for Allied American University, advising students throughout the length of their degree program, ensuring that they complete their courses and remain on good academic standing. She is a full-time graduate student at Webster University in pursuit of a Masters of Arts in International Relations. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology at California State University Fullerton. She also attended Saddleback College where I received an Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. She plans on furthering her studies towards a Doctorate degree in Peace Studies, hoping to apply her education to aid in the development of women’s rights internationally.

 

 

 

 

 

Raeesa Tar

Raeesa Tar is graduating Loyola Marymount University with a B.S. In Accounting in 2014. She has interned at CBS Television Distribution for over a year, and was previously employed with Spectrum Athletic Clubs. Raeesa is passionate about being involved in the community and serves as the youngest board member on New Horizon Westside as Secretary. As an artist herself, she is passionate about the arts, and at 18 years old curated an Exhibit with Zanbeel Art for 18-24 year olds. She is now on the Advisory Board of PAYPC, brought on by Rumaisa and Iesha, to help bring in Young Pakistani Artists to be debuted with the help of Sarah Haroon and the rest of the PAYPC Advisory Board. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iesha Wadalawala

Born and raised in Pasadena, Iesha completed her undergraduate degree in Public Policy, Planning and Development at University of Southern California.  She has worked in public policy, education, non-profit, and public health. She currently works as a legislative deputy for City of Los Angeles Councilwoman Jan Perry. Her multi-ethic background has sparked her interest to explore and work with other cultures. She has worked within communities throughout Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York City and abroad in Chile, India, and Morocco. She holds a Masters in Public Health, with an emphasis on Urbanism and the Built Environment, from Columbia University.  She currently serves as the Director of the Youth Committee for M.O.N.A. (Memon Organization of North America). She enjoys spending her time traveling, gardening, volunteering and reading.