/news-archive/tag/muslim-student-association/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 12 Jun 2019 12:41:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/06/12/arooba-ilyas-grad/ Wed, 12 Jun 2019 12:41:57 +0000 /news/?p=74525 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock grad ready to take next step in research, community, and med school]]> With a father as a doctor and an older sister in medical school, being a doctor would seem the obvious choice for Arooba Ilyas, a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology.聽 鈥淓ver since I was little, just seeing how happy my dad, a pediatric nephrologist (kidney doctor for kids), is and how many people he gets to help is inspiring,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ver since I was little, I thought I would be a doctor. When I get into high school, something about marine biology piqued my interest.鈥� Choosing 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was an easy choice for Ilyas. She was familiar with campus since she conducted research with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professors in high school. Her older sister graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and was a member of the Donaghey Scholars program. Ilyas was thrilled when she was also accepted to the program, which covers her tuition, fees, computer, housing, and study abroad experience. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock really stood out to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n high school, I worked with faculty from the Chemistry Department, and I got to see how willing 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is to promote research in youth. That is something I am very passionate about, since I think it is important to expand young minds. Since my sister was in the Donaghey Scholars program, I know that they really help students to become who they are during college.鈥� Ilyas started at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in fall 2015 as a biology major with no plans to enter medicine, but those plans quickly changed. 鈥淚 came into college saying I鈥檓 not pre-med, but I really gained a passion for medicine working as a volunteer in the 糖心Vlog传媒MS Emergency Department,鈥� Ilyas said. 鈥淚 realized that I didn鈥檛 want to be a doctor just because I wanted to be like my dad.鈥� While at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Ilyas has been passionate about educating the public about world cultures and developing services in the Muslim community. Ilyas鈥� parents are from Pakistan, and she is a first-generation American college student. As part of the Muslim Student Association, she helped organize the World Hijab Day celebration on campus as well as a multicultural fashion show. 鈥淲orld Hijab Day is Feb. 1, and we encourage people to wear scarves to step into the world of a hijabi woman. I put on the hijab in ninth grade, and I remember getting so many stares when I was walking down the hallway,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f people are looking at me, I realized I can be an example of what a Muslim is instead of what Muslims are perceived as. And the multicultural fashion show is a way for us to get in touch with different cultures on campus.鈥� In the community, she volunteers with the Islamic Center of Little Rock as part of a team that is working to bring counseling and therapy to the mosque. 鈥淭he Islamic Center of Little Rock want to start implanting counseling services and couples therapy. Muslim couples have been turned away from other places for counseling because they are Muslim,鈥� Ilyas said. 鈥淢y team is also trying to get counseling services for high school kids. I鈥檝e become a mentor for a lot of the younger Muslims that I know. They often tell me that they feel like they don’t鈥� fit in or have to conform to things that don鈥檛 fit with their religion. Having a therapist who is Muslim or who understands the Muslim experience is helpful to these kids.鈥� Now that she has graduated, Ilyas is taking a gap year to focus on her research and volunteer work with the Islamic Center of Little Rock as well as study and take the MCATs (Medical College Admission Test) and apply for medical school. At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, she received a Signature Experience Award, which provides $1,000 for a student to conduct a research or creative project, to study how renewable resources can be used to purify water with Dr. Noureen Siraj, assistant professor of chemistry. 鈥淚鈥檓 using consumption waste materials, such as used tea leaves and cigarette buds, as a green chemistry source to purify water,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 walked around campus with little baggies and gloves and picked up the old cigarette buds. Why not use something that is littering the world and put it to better use?鈥� She has even come full circle by mentoring high school students that work in Siraj鈥檚 lab during the school year, just like she did in high school. 鈥淚 could have just done a baking soda volcano for a high school science fair project, but the fact that I got to work in a real lab was very cool,鈥� Ilyas said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got to help high school students in Dr. Siraj鈥檚 lab, since I want to encourage students to pursue their passions at a young age.鈥� ]]> /news-archive/2019/01/29/world-hijab-day-jan-31/ Tue, 29 Jan 2019 23:14:37 +0000 /news/?p=73228 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to celebrate World Hijab Day Jan. 31]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate World Hijab Day on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center Diamond Caf茅 area. This will be the Muslim Student Association鈥檚 third annual celebration of the event, sponsored by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Diversity Council, which recognizes millions of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab and live a life of modesty. Members of the public and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community are invited to experience the hijab for one day. Participants are invited to select a garment from hundreds of scarves donated by Muslim women in the Little Rock community and take pictures to raise awareness for those who have been discriminated against because of their choice to wear the hijab. The club will also hold a balloon launch at 12:30 p.m. in honor of victims of discrimination. Once a scarf is chosen, a member of the Muslim Student Association will wrap the hijab around a student or faculty member鈥檚 head and escort him or her to a mirror. Afterward, the pair will take a photo using props labeled #EndDiscrimination. Each participant who wore the hijab is allowed to keep the scarf. For more information, contact Muslim Student Association President Taibah Alnadawi at ttalnadawi@ualr.edu.]]> /news-archive/2018/02/22/high-school-model-arab-league/ Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:00:12 +0000 /news/?p=69518 ... High school students to participate in Model Arab League]]> More than 150 Arkansas high school students will participate in an annual international leadership program that gives students a taste of life as an international diplomat.聽 The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host the High School Model Arab League conference on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24. The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries. 鈥淭he Middle East is an area of critical importance to international politics,鈥� said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Model Arab League and associate professor in the School of Public Affairs. 鈥淢any of the issues there 鈥� from religious extremism to water shortages to gender inequality 鈥� are issues that matter for the whole world. Thinking through potential solutions to these problems is a great way for students to get engaged and feel hopeful about the future of the Middle East and the world,鈥� she said. During the two-day event, high school students from across the state will serve as delegates on committees. The conference will be run by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students, who will chair committees, organize awards, and serve in key roles, such as secretary general. A new exercise in this year鈥檚 conference will be a joint crisis simulation from 9-11 a.m. on Feb. 24 in Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter Hall, where all 150 students will work together to respond to an international crisis in the Arab World. Nora Bouzihay, a first-year doctoral student at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and former president of the Muslim Student Association, who will give the keynote address at noon on Feb. 24 in Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter Hall about her work with the U.S. Department of State and refugees and her new business, NowaraCo, which makes headscarves and donates a portion of the proceeds to make headscarves for refugees. Bouzihay is from Jonesboro, Arkansas. She is a first-generation college student who graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2015 and earned her master鈥檚 degree in public service from the Clinton School of Public Service in 2017. She spent the majority of her master鈥檚 thesis research abroad working with the U.S. Department of State in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, serving as a graduate assistant for undergraduate academic advising and working with first-generation college students and minorities. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has hosted the Model Arab League since 2008. The event is sponsored by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program, the League of Arab States Information Office, and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. For more information, contact Dr. Rebecca Glazier, raglazier@ualr.edu, or visit the Model Arab League. ]]> /news-archive/2018/02/07/ua-little-rock-students-celebrate-world-hijab-day/ Wed, 07 Feb 2018 15:46:36 +0000 /news/?p=69291 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students celebrate World Hijab Day]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock students came out in droves to support the Muslim Student Association鈥檚 second annual World Hijab Day event on Thursday, Feb. 1. 鈥淚 started this event last year because I felt that a lot of people were being discriminated against during this political climate,鈥� said Nora Bouzihay, first-year doctoral student and former president of the Muslim Student Association. 鈥淚 wanted people to come together as one to support one another regardless of sexual orientation, race, culture, or religion.鈥� During the two-hour event, participants were permitted to select a garment from a table of over 400 scarfs donated by Muslim women in the Little Rock community. Once a scarf was chosen, a member of the Muslim Student Associationwould wrap the hijab around a student or faculty member鈥檚 head and escort him or her to a mirror. Afterward, the pair would take a photo using props labeled聽#EndDiscrimination. Each participant who wore the hijab was allowed to keep the scarf. The nearly 400 students who attended the event were visibly intrigued by the hijabs and were able to engage in thoughtful conversations about Muslim culture with members of the Muslim Student Association. Numerous hugs were exchanged at the conclusion of dialogue, and smiles were plastered across the faces of nearly every person present. Following the adornment of scarves, the organization conducted a balloon release on behalf of victims of discrimination. Students wrote names of friends and family members on the balloons, as well as events or interactions that personally affected them. 鈥淭he balloon release was designed to let go of those memories and to come together as one,鈥� Bouzihay said. 鈥淚t was so empowering and an emotional time for many people.鈥� Bouzihay said she hopes to host the event again next year and looks forward to seeing how it grows.]]>