Rasheed Alhadi
2015 Student Recipient
This year’s student recipient, Rasheed Alhadi, will be graduating in May with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. His work and commitment with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Duke Voices for Interfaith Action (VIA) has touched the lives of not only members of the Muslim community but members of the Duke, Durham and Triangle communities.
Rasheed received two nominations. What stands out most is that one nomination came from another student. She wrote that his
. . . depth of spirituality is unique because he encourages not only other Muslims to learn more about Islam but for people of all faiths to increase their faith by learning from each other.
Rasheed spearheaded an interfaith engagement workshop here on campus and is currently planning the first Muslim Youth Leadership Conference for Muslim high school students in the Triangle where he will lead another interfaith engagement workshop. He is always of service to his peers, treating friends and strangers with respect. In addition to his work with MSA and VIA, Rasheed also participates with Habitat builds, helped form a community garden at the Center for Muslim Life, and serves as a service-learning discussion facilitator for Medicine and Medical Ethics.
Rasheed credits his father’s words of wisdom for motivating him to apply his knowledge and enthusiasm beyond the classroom in service to others. He is taking additional steps to apply his father’s teaching by postponing medical school for a year off to teach under-served high school students in California through City Year.