Radhia Abdirahman
The University of Kansas
Across the groups that Radhia provides leadership at KU, she has a commitment to advancing both ethical service and cultural competence and humility. Radhia serves as the Development Director for the Center for Community Outreach (CCO), a student-run organization housing 12 unique and issue-based programs. Each program meaningfully contributes to addressing needs and expanding the student experience. Radhia has led efforts within the CCO to enhance programming and accountability by developing a process for more systematic documentation of student volunteer hours. Radhia also serves as one of two Co-Directors of Advocacy for HEAL KU, a relatively new student organization with a mission of building sustainable relationships with local community organizations and advocating for ethical service approaches. Through HEAL KU, Radhia has advanced awareness of social issues and causes through strategic communications both within the organization and publicly through social media outlets. Radhia has also been received numerous campus awards for her integration of service and advocacy into programming for KU's Muslim Student Association, an organization of which she became Vice President as a first-year student. Radhia's vast experience in community engagement and service at the University of Kansas demonstrates her leadership skills and commitment to public service.
Personal Statement
Combining my experiences as a Somali-Muslim-Female with my innate desire to help those around me, I bring a unique outlook and perspective to service. I understand the struggles of underprivileged, underserved communities, and I hope to make a difference in them with the service work and academic path I pursue. As vice-president of the Muslim Students Association, my goal was to integrate the Muslim community into the greater campus community. I accomplished this with Islamic Awareness Week ‘2019: "Challenging the Narrative." I worked alongside the MSA board to plan events, such as the keynote speaker event and a youth night with the Lawrence Muslim Youth Group. This year, I am working with the Center for Community Outreach; the CCO provides service opportunities for student-led volunteer programs. The CCO aims to address the community's needs through collaborative partnerships and empowers the community through education and advocacy. As Development Director, I organized the Center's first online fundraiser for its 30th anniversary, raising over $3,500 for the organization. Empowerment and inclusivity are the driving forces of my service work. I do my best to amplify my peers' voices in any organization I work with and include as many diverse perspectives as I can.
