Rabea Ali
Manhattan College
As a student leader, Rabea Ali is deeply committed to diversity and social justice, and has an incredible ability to lead the charge for issues that she is passionate about. Rabea believes that a major root causes of social inequity is that of exclusion and discrimination. Presently she is serving her second year as the President of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), through which she focuses on programming to educate others about Islam, combat Islamophobia, and create community for Muslim students on campus. As President of the MSA, Rabea collaborates with others in hosting Interfaith events, including the Multicultural Center, Campus Ministry & Social Action, and the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center on campus. Through her collaborations in Interfaith work, Rabea aims to educate others on implicit bias, inclusion, and the growing effects of Islamophobia, racism and antisemitism in the United States. Rabea also collaborates with New York based advocacy groups, like the Council on American-Islamic Relations NY (CAIR NY), in order to educate our student population on their constitutional rights. Rabea was also a fellow of the "Women in Faith Fellowship" which is geared towards finding a common ground, learning from others, as well as helping communities come together.
Personal Statement
When entering my first year of college I was going through many transition periods, but the most impactful time, that shaped my future drastically, was leading up to, and after the 2016 Presidential Election during which Islamophobic rhetoric permeated the news and world daily. Having spent that year feeling afraid, ostracized, and attacked by many, I wanted to run far away. And yet, I did the opposite. I dove right into the heart of the Lasallian values upheld by Manhattan College, and chose to take on the reins of the Muslim Student Association with a simple mission: for one less student to feel as unwelcome as I did. The leadership positions I have held, have led to my involvement in numerous clubs & organizations, and has changed my view of the world drastically. In my three years as a Jasper social justice work, promoting interfaith conversations, and a dedication to underrepresented groups, many which I fall into, have become integral parts of my everyday life. I know this work will inform future leadership roles that I step into, and continue to shape my life.
