“My grandmother played a key role in raising me since the day I was born, and for almost three decades I watched her gracefully give her time, energy, patience, spare change, food, and personally hand crafted goods to our neighbors, strangers she met, local refugees, and the homeless. She never learned to speak English nor did she ever earn a paycheck in this country, but she made it clear that the power of giving transcends language and wealth. I was named after her, and have lived every day aspiring to do justice to her legacy. 

I’ve been fortunate to travel the world, live in cities across the country, and work for esteemed corporations, but I have often failed to find people and communities as rich as those in Prince George’s County, Maryland. This is where I learned the power of empathy, embraced the beauty of diversity, harnessed the grit and work ethic to strive higher, and witnessed the selflessness and passion of educators. This community unlocked my access to opportunity, and it is students in this community that I hope to now support and empower.” 

~Sadia Naseem
(ERHS Class of 2012)