Faranak Aminifar
Raritan Valley Community College
Faranak Aminifar is a second-year Criminal Justice major at Raritan Valley Community College. After graduation, she plans to transfer to a four-year university to pursue a degree in immigration studies.
Making service an integral part of her college experience, Faranak provided over 200 hours of service learning activities to the community through her criminal justice courses. She assisted probation officers with field visits and interviews and advocated on behalf of defendants who could not provide their own defense. Helping at-risk children who often grow up without adequate guidance, she addressed many challenges by keeping them engaged in positive activities through tutoring and mentoring.
Faranak is a true campus leader. She created the first Criminal Justice Club and serves as the President. She is VP of the Rotaract Club and a member of the Muslin Student Association and Feminist Coalition, which she also created. Faranak has participated in many student leadership trainings on campus and at the United Nations.
All these experiences have given Faranak the chance to examine how we can work together individually and collaboratively to advance our understanding of, and commitment to, solving pressing global, regional and local issues that we face in today's world.
Personal Statement
I am extremely passionate about confronting challenging legal and social justice issues for underserved people. By volunteering with agencies that provide legal services to immigrants and minorities, I have been given the opportunity to advocate on behalf of disadvantaged populations and have gained a valuable cross-cultural perspective.
Through mentoring and companionship, I have provided at-risk children with a caring and supportive relationship, helping them focus on productive, healthy behavior.
As President of the Criminal Justice Club, I organized events bringing together legal professionals with students to explore career opportunities.
As VP of the Rotaract Club, I organized a Stop Hunger Campaign that packed meals for over 20,000 families in Africa and helped prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. These activities gave me a sense of empowerment as I discovered what could be accomplished through group and individual action.
My Feminist Coalition experience focused on addressing domestic violence. As a Muslin Student Association member, I worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the positive ways diversity impacts RVCC.
Participating in meetings at the UN provided learning opportunities focusing on global issues. This experience improved my problem solving and critical thinking skills, which I applied to my studies and community engagement work.
