Name: Maha Akhtar

Recipient Year: 2014

Major: Social Work

Description: Maha Akhtar is pursuing her master’s in social work with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning and Development at Hunter College. Maha completed her B.S from the Macaulay Honors College at Queens College in June 2011 majoring in Graphic Design and Political Science. As secretary of the Muslim Students Association at Queens College, Maha initiated interfaith and social justice events and efforts to engage both the Muslim and non-Muslim community of New York City. Since February 2012, Maha has been working as the Youth Leader at Turning Point for Women and Families.  Maha also assists with advocacy efforts and community outreach. Born and raised in New York, Maha is fluent in Urdu and conversational in Arabic and Spanish.Through her studies, Maha hopes to gain the tools and knowledge of community development and effective organizing to apply to both Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

School Name: Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work

Sponsor: San Ramon Valley Islamic Center (SRVIC) Scholarship

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maha-akhtar-lcsw-1284643b/