Ammarah Rehman
American University
Ammarah Rehman is deeply dedicated to civic engagement, and building bridges between communities. Most recently, she started her own initiative called The Muslim Project - an online awareness campaign to eradicate the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding Islam, while highlighting influential Muslims. Ammarah also led an Alternative Break Trip and worked with several New Orleans schools to learn about class and privilege in New Orleans, an opportunity that found her teaching some of her fellow students as well as learning a great deal herself. Ammarah has helped us grow and stay true to our Statement of Common Purpose, "ideas in to action and action into service."
Personal Statement
My parents taught me to be a leader for change within my community and to always stand up against injustice. I was encouraged to be involved and I volunteered at local schools, shelters and food pantries. I continued volunteering in college, tutoring at local schools and leading an Alternative Spring Break Program to New Orleans focusing on the effect that race and socioeconomic class play in the education system. My engagement in college allowed me to advocate for my community while working with organizations, professors, and staff. As a Muslim American, I always saw the Muslim community portrayed negatively in the media and felt responsible to end Islamophobia. Through the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, I facilitated a semester long dialogue to discuss the ways in which Islamophobia impacts people from different identities. This inspired me to create an online awareness campaign called The Muslim Project. The mission of the project is eradicate the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding Islam while highlighting influential Muslims. My goal is to humanize people who practice Islam and mitigate the scourge of Islamophobia and bigotry through advocacy, policy, education, and interfaith dialogue.
