All of us at MyLLife are pleased to showcase one of our 2025 MyLLife Scholars, Hanaan Kazia!
My name is Hanaan Kazia and I'm a junior-year undergrad studying political science, sociology, and public policy at George Mason University. I've worked and volunteered in local politics, nonprofits, and student organizing, with my most recent research focused on building economic & political solidarity in social movements, Muslim-American communities, academia, and beyond. My commitment to grassroots organizing draws me to public service; my ultimate goal after I graduate is to create public policy that is participatory and truly serves communities.
I was drawn to MyLLife not only as a Muslim-American student and its ethos of community-building, but also because of the organization's commitment to lifelong education. I believe that accessible education is integral to building vibrant, democratic communities, which MyLLife has completely affirmed for me. This also drew me to my research internship with Ballotpedia, where I will be researching political candidates and races across the US to publish free, accurate, and non-biased information in an online database that anyone can read. This was a special opportunity for me to continue my work in local politics and education, and I can't wait to be able to fully commit my time to this research with the help of the MyLLife scholarship.
