September 23, 2013

Aisha Iqbal is currently a sophomore at the George Washington University pursuing a dual-degree in international affairs and economics, with concentrations in international economics and international development. She said hopes to work in the development field within East Africa in the future, and she is MPAC's new fall intern in the Washington, DC, office.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, and raised in Yanbu’ Al-Bahr, Saudi Arabia, Iqbal moved to Aurora, CO, a few months before 9/11. Even though she grew up in a family that highly valued government involvement and civil service, her interest in faith-based policy work developed after she was selected to be a part of a State Department sponsored trip to Kenya and Ghana in the summer of 2011.

There, she worked alongside the Kenyan Muslim Youth Alliance in Mombasa, Kenya,  to develop plans for increasing community engagement and interfaith dialogue among the youth in both the United States and Kenya. Upon returning to the U.S., Iqbal continued to strive for faith-based cooperation by serving as the Muslim representative for the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado and the Counter-terrorism Education Learning Lab in Denver.

In addition, Iqbal was the president of her high school’s speech and debate team, Model United Nations and World Affairs teams, allowing her to build a strong International Relations foundation. For her efforts within the community, Iqbal was awarded a full ride scholarship on behalf of the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program to the George Washington University’s Elliot School for International Affairs.

As a freshman in college, Iqbal worked as a Policy Development Intern for the National Foundation for Women Legislators along with being a member of the Women’s Leadership Program and the executive boards for the Pakistani Students’ Association and the International Affairs Society. She has also worked as an Economic Policy Intern for the Consulate General of Pakistan in Houston.

As a part of MPAC, Iqbal hopes to continue upon a similar interfaith development path that she pursued during high school, with a greater focus on policy making. Coming from Colorado, she wants to utilize her experience at MPAC as a catalyst for more involvement with the large Muslim community within the DC metropolitan area.

Lastly, Iqbal said she looks forward to contributing her skills towards the execution of MPAC policy initiatives and events.