Name: Ayisha Irfan

Recipient Year: 2016

Major: Public Policy

Description: Ayisha Irfan is the Education, Justice and Policing Policy Analyst at the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. Having studied biology at CUNY Brooklyn College during undergrad, her life took an unexpected turn in 2011 when she was moved to action following the revelation of the New York Police Department’s broad Muslim surveillance program. She hit the ground running at the Arab American Association of New York. It was from there that her interest in narratives, youth empowerment, and legislative change took hold. Over the past 5 years, Ayisha has helped develop leaders, train advocates, and build and lead successful legislative advocacy campaigns, both inside and outside government. Ayisha is committed to both creating social change on both the individual and systemic level, and in addition to her policy work, she is the co-founder of the Muslim Writers Collective. 

School Name: New York University

Sponsor: Aziz Emara Memorial Fund Scholarship

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayisha-irfan-38083036/