Naeem Kandwal;
Youth is the backbone of any nation. Youth can play an important role in the development of the society. Because of some Successful young people, youth has become most important role of any society. These successful young people can be called Legends. They are a role model for others. They are real heroes of nations. Youth Leadership is important for the future of the community and the country. Young Leaders are more receptive to change and have a large stake in creating a strong future. Youth involvement facilitates positive social change, including structures, policies and procedures that are demand-driven to address the health needs of their communities and countries, now and in the future. The world is changing very fast. The Global change demands a changing leadership role. Typical leaders can hardly cope with changes but the youth leadership can as they can easily bring dynamism in leadership. Bushra Amiwala is a Pakistani-American student and the youngest Muslim elected official in the United States. She is a role model for young generation.
She is can be called a Legend. She was born in Chicago and lived in the Rogers Park area until she was 10. Her family then moved to Skokie, where she graduated from Niles North High School. She began her political career as an intern for Republican senator Mark Kirk, and decided to run her own campaign for the Cook County Board of Commissioners as a college freshman. She came in second in the Democratic primaries, earning 14,988 votes, a total of 30.6% of the vote in a three-person race. She began an annual service project on her birthday, and in 2018 made and distributed hundreds of care packages in the Chicagoland area with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who endorsed her campaign. She was named one of Glamour Magazine’s 2018 College Women of the Year. She was a Democratic candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners in the 2018 Illinois Primary Election. She lost to the then 16-year incumbent Larry Suffredin in the Democratic primary election on March 20th, 2018. Suffredin then encouraged Amiwala to run for public office shortly after when she announced her candidacy for D73.5 Board of Education, and was elected in April 2019. She also became the first Muslim person elected to the board of education seat in her distric.
“I’m not a student that went to Harvard University or anything. My parents aren’t like these prestigious lawyers and doctors but truly am someone who came from an immigrant family, was born and raised here, go to a local university,” she explained. “If I could do it, you can do it as well.”
Bushra Amiwala has won many awards. On Saturday, February 20, 2021 Skokie native and DePaul Alumnus Bushra Amiwala stepped up to the plate to receive the highly coveted Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC) award for exemplary community service and youth excellence. This ceremony unfolded on a global scale during a live-streamed virtual gala titled “Unity is Power.” After receiving award she said, “I am so humbled to receive this award. As our country continues to realize itself during this moment of great social and racial reckoning, minority leadership in both civic and business is more important than ever. I am deeply honored to be recognized alongside so many inspiring people who are paving the way to a fairer and just future.”
Amiwala is an avid public speaker and has spoken in many events such as TEDxDePaul University and Harvard University to name a few. She is the subject of an original documentary called And She Could Be Next on PBS. She is also the female candidate on Amazon Prime’s RUN The Series. She is currently the subject of an original Hulu documentary called Our America: Women Forward.
Because she is the youngest Muslim elected official in the United States, she is respected in muslim society. She is a role model for Muslim women. “Being a Muslim woman that wears a hijab, I tend to be reduced to my identity, which is a big part of who I am, but with that there’s the additional expectation that I’m not just representing my constituents in my district, but I’m representing almost Muslim women as a whole at a national level,” she explained. “And being of a younger age, that is a little more difficult because that’s something I didn’t know I was signing up for.”
As the youngest Muslim elected official, we’d agree! Bushra admits that it’s a heavy title to carry on her shoulders, but she’s very excited for what lies ahead. “I hope for a day when there are no longer ‘firsts,’ because diversity and inclusion will be the norm,” she said. Multiple successes at an early age is a great honor. Undoubtedly, Bushra Amiwala is a sign of success. She is real Hero. She is a role model for new generation. Young generation can learn from her.
