In Southern California, the Long Beach Rotary Club Foundation has awarded its largest single gift in the foundation’s history to college student Yaseem Azam who has received $15,000 in scholarship money. Yamseen is a junior at Cal State Long Beach majoring in international relations and the Long Beach Telegram says that “the foundation could not have picked a more deserving student.”
Yasmeen’s parents are from Jordan, and she is one of four quadruplets (two boys and two girls). Among Yasmeen’s achievements is her work with young refugees and her engagement leading workshops on civic engagement at local mosques and community centers. On campus, she organized a “Muslims Against Hate” demonstration, and has even won an international essay contest where she spoke at the United Nations.
Yasmeen says she wants to help those affected by Islamophobia. “People will call me a terrorist when they see me,” says the scholarship winner. “Many of them lack understanding. I want to help eliminate stereotypes people have of Muslims.”
