Hashaam Jamil
University of PittsburghHashaam Jamil, a junior student at the University of Pittsburgh has been a shining example of self-less service during his time at the University of Pittsburgh. Since his first year he has been active in civic engagement through the Office of PittServes and currently sits on the Student Civic Engagement Council and is the Outreach Intern for the office. He has also served as a Resident Assistant for the past two years and was named a 2016 Brown Fellow with the School of Social Work. With a passion for social justice, Hashaam has taken the lead to improve Pitt's Be a Good Neighbor Day, through implementation of intentional service and discussion with diverse groups. A recent recipient of the Coro MLK Jr. Emerging Leader Award, Hashaam has been working to improve communities in the Pittsburgh region and make Pitt more inclusive for all.
Personal Statement
One of the most important lessons I learned was that there is a right answer to "is the glass half full or half empty?" It turns out the answer is simply "yes". It is both half full and half empty. As a leader I learned that ignoring one or the other, the positives or the negatives, means you are a missing a vital piece to the puzzle. All my work within communities through the Office of PittServes and as a Browne Fellow with the School of Social Work showed me that if you aren't willing to learn everything there is about a community, then you can't truly help it. I dedicate my team to being a student of not only the University of Pittsburgh, but the community around me. So many college students live inside the bubble of campus and miss out incredible opportunities so close by. I feel obligated to share these communities and their incredible stories with the students and share these passionate, excited students with these communities. This is my first step to empowering our new generation of world leaders to be the best they can be.