Shariq Ali

Shariq was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and his family is originally from Karachi, Pakistan. He earned a B.A. in International & Global Studies (IGS) and Policy Studies from Elon University and an M.S.Ed. in Intercultural Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.

At Elon, Shariq served as President of the Elon International Society and became deeply interested in interfaith dialogue through his experience as a Multifaith Engagement Intern. He also worked as a Research Assistant for the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, where he realized his interest in student achievement and empowerment.

After graduation, Shariq worked at the Arab-American Family Support Center, where he advocated and provided case management services for immigrant families in New York City. He later tutored students online and mentored high school students in developing research projects. Shariq’s passion for linguistics, educational development, and community engagement led him to study at the University of Pennsylvania, where he gained experience in areas such as language diversity, language access, and leadership in higher education. He also conducted ethnographic research focusing on communication technologies, language education, and immigrant experiences in the US.

Shariq interned at HIAS Pennsylvania, an immigrant and refugee resettlement agency in Philadelphia, and later served as the program assistant for their Young Adult Mentoring Program. He was in charge of developing a brand new curriculum for first-year college students that covered various areas related to college success and communicating with mentors and students regularly to ensure that students were meeting their goals, making progress, and staying focused.

Shariq is now working as a College Counselor at HelloCollege, and enjoys partnering with students and families in planning for college and preparing for their academic careers. In his free time, he enjoys attending local community events and performances in Philly, trying different kinds of food, and learning about topics like religion, philosophy, nature, language, and cultural history.