June 11, 2013

Marwa Abdelghani, a recent graduate of Crescenta Valley High School, is MPAC’s Summer 2013 Government and Communications Intern. With the goal of pursuing a double major in political science and Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine, Abdelghani said her passion for government relations is what brought her to MPAC.

Abdelghani has held multiple leadership positions both at her high school and as a part of the Muslim Youth Group at the Islamic Center of Southern California. Abdelghani also served as the Muslim Youth Group’s Spiritual and Educational Director in her last year of high school. In her junior and senior years of high school, she was the president and founder of her Muslim Students Association and the vice president and co-founder of the My Generation club.

Abdelghani was one of the first council members of Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change (MAJIC). With this leadership role alongside Muslim and Jewish peers, she was able to grasp the meaning of true dialogue and be one of the few catalysts for change between the Muslim and Jewish communities. She was also an active member and co-captain of her speech and debate team, winning several awards with her Egyptian Revolution of 2011 speech.

Recently, Abdelghani was given the opportunity of a lifetime when we she was invited to speak on an interfaith panel at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints’s annual breakfast in La Crescenta. Being, not only the only Muslim speaking at the event, but also the only speaker who was 18 years old, she spoke about the importance of having these events with the collaboration of people of all faiths and cultures.

Her passion and deep interest for protecting the face of Islam and preserving people’s freedoms and rights led her to joining the MPAC team. As an intern at MPAC, Abdelghani said she hopes to continue to gain knowledge of our country’s democratic system and how to do more for her community. Abdelghani wants to work as a civil rights activist to help those who have fallen victim to injustice.