Name: Wasiq Javed

Recipient Year: 2020

Major: Political Science

Description: Wasiq Javed, on stage known as WiseIQ, is a spoken word artist, community organizer, and University of Houston graduate in Honors Political Science with a minor in Leadership Studies. Born and raised in Houston, Texas to Pakistani immigrants, Wasiq is passionate about increasing Muslim involvement in public service and civic engagement to help contribute to the American civic and political discourse. He has previously organized campaigns, protests, and education events across numerous social issues and founded a youth civic-engagement organization at his high school, Lakes for Lives, and Students for Imam Jamil, a national advocacy campaign to help free a wrongfully imprisoned civil rights leader. Wasiq was a 2021 Hobby Fellow, where he served as a Legislative Aide for State Representative Armando Walle during the legislative session at the Texas Capitol. He intends to pursue a JD degree and concentrate in civil rights law to prepare him for a career as a public interest lawyer.

School Name: University of Houston

Sponsor: Afzal Family Foundation

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wasiqjaved/