Dalai Lama Fellows
Iman Siddiqi
Leadership Vision
When addressing global challenges like the global refugee crisis today, I believe the solution is not to impose macro-level policies but to create opportunities for others to become leaders and change-makers themselves. I believe the best way to invest in the post-conflict development of a war-torn nation is through education, and thus my project intends to fill a gap in higher education so that students can return to their countries to help rebuild.
Project Description
The purpose of my project is to create academic opportunities for students displaced by conflict, foster a campus environment where refugees students feel safe and welcome, and encourage our campus and the local community to address the global refugee crisis. To do so, I will work with Hearts of Mercy (a student organization I co-founded) to pilot a program to help students displaced by the conflict with college admissions as well as create a scholarship fund to help refugees, asylees and asylum-seekers financially. We will also organize campus wide awareness events and workshops.