Organizing Team
Ibrahim Khan
Co-Chair Ibrahim Khan is a senior at Harvard, concentrating in Applied Mathematics and Economics with a secondary field in Computer Science. He co-founded the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association (HCPSA) and is a former Co-President of the organization. Ibrahim is also the Chairman Emeritus at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum Committee at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, the university’s premier arena for political speech, discussion and debate. In addition, Ibrahim is the President and Captain of the Harvard Cricket Club (HCC). HCC returned to competitive cricket after a hiatus of 85 years under Ibrahim’s leadership and won the 2013 American College Cricket (ACC) League Championship. When not welcoming a Forum speaker or playing a straight drive on the cricket field, Ibrahim writes op-eds for The Express Tribune. His interests include energy, commodities, international trade and public service. He hopes the inaugural edition of HCPW can add tangibly to the discussion of Pakistan’s future. |
Rabiya Ather
Co-Chair Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Rabiya Ather is a junior at Harvard College concentrating in Applied Mathematics with a focus in Economics and Computer Science and a secondary field in Literature. Currently, she is the Co-President of the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association (HCPSA). Rabiya has also served as Under-Secretary-General of Delegate Relations on the secretariat of Harvard National Model United Nations, one of the most prestigious and diverse conferences of its kind. Additionally, she was Co-Director of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business’s (HUWIB), International Women in Business Summit. HUWIB is the largest undergraduate business organization on Harvard's campus. Her interests include social entrepreneurship, public health and international relations. She sincerely hopes that attendees of Harvard College Pakistan Weekend will leave with a renewed and informed understanding of Pakistan and an enhanced vision for a brighter future. |
Omer Awan
Co-Chair Originally from Chakwal, Omer is a junior in Adams House concentrating in Economics with a secondary in History and a citation in Classical Arabic. He is a Partner at the Charles River Growth Fund, a long-only equity fund in Cambridge, where he analyzes lucrative investment opportunities. He also works at a private equity fund in Boston focusing on consumer brands and serves as the current co-president of the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association. In his free time, Omer loves to read on Islamic Philosophy and its contemporary applications, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy food. His interests range from activist investing and growth equity, to understanding how intra-national economic integration can help curb extremism in Pakistan. Due to his upbringing in Kuwait, Omer religiously follows football and is a diehard Real Madrid supporter. |
Shahyan Sajid
Director of Technology and Design Shahyan is a junior at Harvard, hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, IL. He is concentrating in Computer Science and is the Director of IT at the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association (HCPSA). He is also the Boston Liaison at Code Orange. Shahyan has done work as the Lead Software Engineer at a Cambridge based organization, where he worked on projects with multiple Fortune500 financial and retail organizations. Other than that, he is a writer for a local monthly publication and a mentor in the HIPE program at Harvard. When he finds time, he does freelance web development as well as work on his own entrepreneurial pursuits. Shahyan aims to be an entrepreneur in the education sector, with the dream of revolutionizing how and what children study around the world. He aims to be one of the world's greatest philanthropists, as well as aid in ALS research. |
Eman Riaz Ahmed
Director of Finance Eman is a sophomore at the College, concentrating in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Originally from Attock, a town an hour from Islamabad, Eman is keenly invested in all things Pakistan. Her academic interests include gene regulation and how it correlates with disease and trait inheritance. She enjoys dabbling in different extracurricular activities including HCPSA, theater, and the Harvard College in Asia Program. In her free time, Eman enjoys traveling, writing and obsessing over various team sports. |
Qasim Khan
Director of Publicity Malik Muhammad Qasim Khan was raised in Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan. He is currently pursuing a concentration in Mathematics and a secondary in Economics at Harvard. Having had an active upbringing, Qasim is a big fan of athletics - from equestrianism and rugby to soccer and tennis. He is also a voracious reader and loves reflecting on life. The extremism and militancy that Pakistan is subject to today is something Qasim feels very strongly about and he is obsessed with exploring entrepreneurial methods to re-develop Pakthunkhwa's infrastructure and weed out fundamentalism in Pakistan. He currently holds the position of Secretary of the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association. |
Leena Raza
Co-Director of Logistics Leena Raza is a sophomore studying Environmental Science and Public Policy and hails from the Midwest, but she has also lived in the Middle East. On top of the being the Programming Chair of the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association, she is also active in the Harvard Health Policy Review, enjoys participating in the Institute of Politics and is a Food Literacy Representative. Her interest lies in environmental and global health issues, education and social entrepreneurship. In her free time, she likes to do nature hikes, try new food and hang out with her family and friends. |
Mir Ibrahim
Co-Director of Logistics Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Mir is currently a sophomore in Lowell House who is concentrating in Mechanical Engineering with a secondary in Economics. Apart from the PSA, he is involved in other student organizations such as the Woodbridge Society, Veritas Financial Group and The Crimson. He is a member of the Harvard Polo team and also likes to play squash. |
Yamna Anwar
Director of Sponsorships Born in Karachi and raised in North Plainfield, NJ, Yamna is a sophomore at Harvard College pursuing a concentration in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology and a secondary field in Global Health and Health Policy. She serves as the current Director of Outreach for the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association and one of the vice presidents for the Harvard University Pakistan Student Group. She also enjoys having the pleasure of being Production Director for Harvard College Stories for Orphans. Yamna is extremely interested in medicine and developmental biology, and she is currently a research assistant at the Baccarelli Epigenomics lab at the Harvard School of Public Health. Yamna most enjoys learning about other cultures, traveling, cooking, and going home to spend time with her parents, siblings, and relatives. She hopes to see HCPW become a tradition in the years to come and to increase understanding of Pakistan on Harvard's campus. |
Aaisha Nisha Sikander Shah
Co-Director of Outreach Aaisha hails from the beautiful, historic city of Lahore. She is a freshman at Harvard and intends to study Economics and History. In addition to being a board member of the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association, Aaisha serves as the Secretary for the Harvard International Relations Council (IRC), one of the largest student organizations on campus. Her interests include traveling, touring museums and historical sites, (successful) experimental cooking, soccer and cricket. Being a seasoned debater, Aaisha enjoys discussing topics that vary from politics to sports and from culture to economics. In the future, she hopes she can contribute to economic development of less developed countries. |
Mahnoor Khan
Co-Director of Outreach Mahnoor is a freshman at Harvard thinking of pursuing a Joint Concentration in Neurobiology and Government. She is from Lahore, Pakistan, but has spent a significant part of her childhood moving around East Africa and the Middle East. At one point, she had been to seven schools in nine years in five different countries. Mahnoor is an active member of the International Relations Council where she writes for the Harvard International Review, is a Director for Harvard National Model UN and is Co-President of Model Security Council and Welcome Week 2014. She is also a member of the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum Committee at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Mahnoor enjoys all things IR related and loves attending HCPSA meetings to get her weekly dose of Urdu and all things Pakistan. |
Ameen Chaudry
Assistant Director of Technology Ameen Chaudry is a freshman at Harvard College, originally from San Diego, California. Born and raised a Pakistani-American, he hopes to spread awareness of the Pakistani facet of his upbringing through his participation in the Harvard College Pakistan Student Association. Ameen is interested in studying medicine and ultimately hopes to become a practicing physician. Among his other extracurricular activities include his involvement with the Harvard Islamic Society, of which he is the secretary. |
Haider Raza
Graduate Liaison Haider Raza is a second year Master's in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he's specializing in Economic and Political Development. Prior to coming to the Kennedy School he has worked in the development sector of Pakistan with organizations such as the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Asia Foundation, SME Business Support Fund and the National Disaster Management Authority. At the Harvard Kennedy School, Haider is the Co-Chair of the HKS Pakistan Caucus and the Co-Chair of the HKS Muslim Caucus. |
Asim Khwaja
Faculty Adviser Asim Ijaz Khwaja is the Sumitomo-Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, Co-Director of Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), and faculty co-chair of the MPA/ID program. His areas of interest include economic development, finance, education, political economy, institutions, and contract theory/mechanism design. His research combines extensive fieldwork, rigorous empirical analysis, and microeconomic theory to answer questions that are motivated by and engage with policy. He has been published in the leading economics journals, such as the American Economic Review, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and has received coverage in numerous media outlets such as the Economist, NY Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Al-Jazeera, BBC, and CNN. His recent work ranges from understanding market failures in emerging financial markets to examining the private education market in low-income countries. He was selected as a Carnegie Scholar in 2009 to pursue research on how religious institutions impact individual beliefs. Khwaja received BS degrees in economics and in mathematics with computer science from MIT and a PhD in economics from Harvard. A Pakistani, UK, and US citizen, he was born in London, U.K., lived for eight years in Kano, Nigeria, the next eight in Lahore, Pakistan, and the last eighteen years in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He continues to enjoy interacting with people around the globe. |