Woman to Watch: Iman Abid
Iman Abid wants to change public perception of Muslims and she’s doing it through politics.
“As a young female Arab-American, I am faced with many barriers and challenges that I must overcome every day,” says Abid. “While what the news has to carry is incredibly unfortunate, I do what I can to the best of my ability to show others that what you see every day is not an image of the majority.”
The 2015 Rochester Institute of Technology grad wants to engage more young adults in the political process. She is president of the Monroe County Young Democrats and western region vice president of the New York State Young Democrats.
Abid, 23, earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and she is determined to expand her role in public policy. If she has her way, she will become a foreign service officer and ultimately will serve as an ambassador and tour the Middle East. She also has a vision to become a member of the United Nations someday.
For now, she’s a Henrietta resident who is enthusiastic about serving the community as a member of the town’s Youth Asset Team. The group supports community involvement, leadership development and promotes diversity within grades 6-12.
While pursuing her degree at RIT, she got involved in projects, such as being a campaign manager for the county legislature, becoming the deputy field director on a senatorial campaign, and helping charter a prelaw fraternity at RIT.
She developed a strong interest in the counter-terrorism movement post Sept. 11, 2001. Abid was very young at the time, but she realized a major change in the way the public viewed Muslims.
Abid’s father, from New York City, and mother, from Palestine, met in Israel, but family history to the area convinced them to raise a family in Rochester.
After working on her first campaign as in intern in 2012, Abid developed a passion for canvassing.
“I really fell in love with the energy and fast pace of the campaigning process,” she says. “Sometimes you never know what’s going to happen, all you do is get out there and get people talking.
“You can’t just campaign and then forget about people,” Abid says. “The key is you have to keep informing people about what’s going on.”
Abid enjoys simply talking to people to discover the issues they’re most concerned about. She hopes to continue to engage people as she pursues her dream of becoming a member of the United Nations.
“You touch this part of people that in most jobs you don’t get to see,” she says.
Current community activities and recent achievements: Volunteered with the Rochester refugee community and worked closely with places like Mary’s Place for more than seven years. I volunteer some of my time with the MK Gandhi Institute of Nonviolence and the Rochester Young Professionals. Worked on organizing a chapter for Charity Water: India with four of my friends to help spread awareness about the importance of clean water facilities in India.
Who has inspired or mentored me: One of my RIT professors, Sean D. Sutton, Ph.D. For four years, I have never met someone so patient and interested in teaching me not only about the politics of this country but providing all the insight and wisdom he possibly could. We always say that the ones who care most about us are the ones who are most honest with us and it could not be more right. The endless hours spent on writing papers in college, the number of novels read, or the dreaded hours of analyzing the politics of The X Files, he pushed me because he believed in me more than I believed in myself. I am who I am because of him.
What I am reading:The Merchant of Venice, a play by William Shakespeare.
Favorite app: Shazam.
Favorite thing to do in Rochester: Hiking, there is nothing better than escaping into the wilderness where service on my phone does not exist.
One thing I’ve always wanted to do: Build a home for my family. I’ve always been fond of builders and their ability to make something out of what was once nothing. For everything my parents have given me in their lives, I always think about how I want to pay it back.
One of my favorite sayings: “The world will break your heart 10 ways to Sunday, that’s guaranteed. And I can’t begin to explain that — or the craziness inside myself and everybody else, but guess what? Sunday is my fav day again” ― Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook
Source: www.democratandchronicle.com