February 22, 2016

My name is Sadaf Azami and I am an Afghan-American Muslim senior at California State University of Northridge (CSUN) as a Psychology major. My role model growing up has always been my grandfather, Taj Mohammad Wardak, who held governmental positions in provinces in Afghanistan such as Governor and Minister of the Interior. He was a man that battled corruption and stood for what was right. My family had to become refugees in America because of the Soviet Union invasion in Afghanistan and the oppression they had to face. America gave my family the opportunity to thrive and exceed the goals that they have set.

As a student at CSUN, I became involved with the Muslim Students Association, where I took on a board position as treasurer during my second year. I spent my term organizing and preparing events to strengthen our campus, not only as Muslims, but as college students.

I worked as a research assistant under Psychology Professor Stefanie Drew at the Children's Center at CSUN to learn more about how parents, who are students at CSUN, manage their time as both parents and students. From understanding their needs, we created planners to assist them in organizing the priorities that need to be taken care of in a week’s time.

In addition to being a student at CSUN, I have been employed for the past two years as a unit secretary at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in the oncology department. This department is fast-paced, where multiple chemo patients are admitted at one time. There is a lot of compassion that goes into my job because of the constant interactions I have with the patients.

In a time when our community is subjected to micro-aggressions and hate crimes as consequences for actions done by terrorists,, I want to make an effort to promote equality among all religions, ethnicities, and groups and collectively triumph over those who compromise that. I intend to take advantage of this opportunity at MPAC to advocate for those who are discriminated against, work on countering extremism and spread awareness.

I have experienced discrimination because of my faith and negative reactions in the workplace, at the mall, and in other settings whenever people learn that I am Muslim and/or Afghan. I felt my identity being compromised and overshadowed by the stereotypes and misunderstandings that people have of Islam and Muslims. I want to channel those experiences into positive action, and create a narrative for American Muslims to show the side of who they are that the media does not show.

When I receive my bachelors in Psychology, I wish to go to graduate school to further my education. My long-term goal is to research the roots of terrorism and oppression, and do work that will find ways to tackle it. I believe that this opportunity with MPAC will help me increase my understanding of how to change the stigmas Muslim Americans face. Proactive strategies on behalf of our community will show our fellow Americans and the world that we are against the tragedies that have been occurring, and are making every and any step to change it.