Khulood Al Ali, Robert Morris University

Khulood Al Ali, a junior Engineering major from Saudi Arabia attending Robert Morris University (RMU) in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, is a highly engaged student who is active in nonprofit organizations including Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and Coraopolis Community Development Foundation (CCDF). Khulood works to address urban vitality, foreign language literacy, and food insecurity. In addition to engaging in the local community, Khulood participates in RMU’s Alternative Break Program to address hunger, homelessness, and the need for affordable housing in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. While Khulood will pursue graduate study in the United States, when she does return to Saudi Arabia she intends to implement some of the approaches to social problems that she has been exposed to in America. In addressing hunger in her home community she is intends to replicate the model of the CCDF Food Pantry – using a point system to empower clients to make healthy food choices rather than simply presenting them with a pre-packed box of food that does not meet their needs or tastes. This is but one example of Khulood’s passion for and commitment to making the world a better place.