List organizational experience within the MSA-UMD (include positions, responsibilities, and accomplishments, please be specific, outlining in detail what you individually did/accomplished)

I was appointed as Finance chairperson from the Muslim Student Association in the summer of 2010.  Since then I have worked within the MSA and with other organizations at the University to raise money for all of the MSA events this year.  In addition, I have been the chairperson for the Unity in Diversity Executive Committee, which puts together the MSA’s annual Unity in Diversity Dinner.  I also attend every MSA meeting, as well as Jummah prayer on campus.

List work/volunteer experience (include positions, responsibilities and accomplishments in other organizations on or off campus)

I have worked for the City of Dearborn as a Field Inspector, which looks for safety hazards within neighborhoods and on commercial properties. 

Most of my volunteer experience has been through my Muslim community in Canton, and the MSA, with events such as Day of Dignity.  I also volunteer during the tax season with VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), which helps low-income families and individuals prepare their tax returns at no cost.

What are your organizational strengths? Weaknesses?

I like to consider myself a team-player.  In that way, my strength comes from being able to find other people’s strengths.  In that way, I’m good at making sure everyone works together to accomplish a goal or a task.  At the same time, I tend to pay too much attention to detail.  I don’t work as efficiently or as quickly as many other members of the MSA, and I usually have to spend more time focusing on tasks. 

How do you cope and work under pressure (please answer in full thoughts/sentences providing real-life examples/situations)?

People have found that I am an extremely laid-back person.  With that said, I try to maintain that composure with the people I am working with.  One of the most important things about working under pressure, I have found, is being able to pace yourself.  That is why goal-setting and timelines are a very important part of working in an organization.  That is one thing the MSA has done a very good job at this year, and one thing I am proud to be considered a part of.

How well do you multi task (please answer in full thoughts/sentences providing real-life examples/situations)?

For me there are two types of multi-tasking.  First, there’s multi-tasking for the sake of multi-tasking.  This is just a person’s ability to do more than one thing at any given moment, or to prove a point.   That is something I am not good at.  Then, there is multi-tasking for the sake of the group.  This includes working extra to meet a deadline, or to pick up when another team member cannot.  I feel I am much better at multi-tasking when it counts, and when it is needed.

How do you deal with criticism (please answer in full thoughts/sentences providing real-life examples/situations)?

When people offer criticism, I honestly believe that criticism is offered to make either myself or the organization better.  I realize that a lot of my ideas may not be good, or feasible, particularly in an organization such as the Muslim Student Association, and I accept that.  A major part of da’wah is the idea of viewing others higher than you view yourself, and dealing with criticism in that way, I feel, is part of our duty in Islam.   

What will your schedule look like in the 2010-2011 school year? How many hours can you dedicate to the MSA if you are elected? List any external factors such as parents, school, or work that might inhibit your work.

I always take either 15 or 16 credits of coursework for the semester.  Winter 2011 I plan on taking 16 credits.  I am also very involved with several other organizations on campus.  Outside of campus, I have four younger sisters who I am highly depended upon to take care of.  I am lucky to have two very caring parents, but due to that and my living proximity from Dearborn, events and meetings should be held at reasonable times.  Regardless, I have been fully committed to the MSA in the time I have spent within it, and I do not intend on that changing.     

What does MSA mean to you? Why are you getting involved with MSA, other than the fact that you were nominated?

MSA is more than just one of the most prestigious and decorated organizations on the UM-Dearborn campus.  It’s a way to develop leadership skills for fellow Muslims, and to help develop contributing members to the future of this Ummah.  As a young kid and teenager, I did not fully embrace the fact that I was indeed Muslim.  However, as I have grown older, and grown more involved, I have realized the importance of my faith, and the importance of strengthening that faith.  It is why I remain involved with the Muslim community in Canton, and why I have made the MSA a top priority.

What do you feel the MSA executive board positions you are running for entails, and why do you feel you are capable of holding such a position?

Any Finance chairperson should be able to at least consult and suggest ways to do two things: make money, and lower costs.  So far this year, we have done an outstanding job in minimizing the costs of running events through maintaining good relationships on and off-campus.  We have also strategically been able to raise some money through running a successful bake sale.   

Include future plans you have in respect to the position.

In addition to the Unity in Diversity Dinner planned for March, we plan on having one more social-fundraising event to help generate some funds for the organization.  We will also continue to work with other offices and organizations on campus to make sure we are able to run successful events.

If you lose the elections, what will your course of action be towards the organization (please specify)?

I will continue to stay active and contribute to the MSA in any way I can, regardless of what position I hold.

If you are elected, will your parent(s) be supportive of your work with the organization?

I am not sure.  But, Insha’Allah, yes.

What do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of MSA-UMD?

As with the strength of any successful organization, the MSA has a dynamic group of Eboard members who are able to work together to put together events that create a positive image of the organization on campus, but also maintain certain Islamic values that we all hold.  The MSA this year has also been very effective in working with other people and organizations, those who are not necessarily Muslim.  That said, one weakness I feel we have is the lack of involvement of general members in the MSA.  We need to do a better job getting non-Eboard members involved in planning events and steering the direction of the MSA.

Have you fully read & understood the constitution, have you specifically understood your duties/responsibilities?

Yes.

How well do you work with others? Give an example of when you led a team and how you delegated responsibilities and ensure team cohesiveness.

I honestly think working with others is one of my best strengths.  I do not let personal issues get in the way of the overall well-being of the group, and with that said I think that people view me as generally reliable person with a cohesive personality.  In other words, I try my best not to drive people away.  In my early years of high school, I was very involved with athletics.  I learned how to be a real teammate while I was on the basketball and baseball teams.  With the next step being leadership, I have learned to delegate and organize through my involvement with my Muslim community in Canton, such as helping organize a youth camp, and through my involvement already with the MSA, particularly with planning Unity in Diversity.

Which Islamic school of thought do you subscribe to, and what is you viewpoint in regards to other schools of thought?

Most of my family, considering my Pakistani background, follow the Hanafi madhhab , so most of my Islamic practices have followed this school of thought.  However, there are several aspects of the Hanafi madhhab which I question, and there are several aspects of the other 3 Sunni madhhabs which I feel make sense.  There are even some particularly Shi’ite methodologies that I find make more sense than any Sunni madhhab.  I think all schools of thought in Islam should be looked upon equally, but we should not accept them individually as religions themselves.  For this is not the Hanafi Student Association, or Shafi’I Student Association, but the MUSLIM Student Association.