Bismillah. It has been an honor serving the Austin & DFW communities for the past 18 months as Youth Coordinator. I feel sad writing this letter, as I am leaving CAIR-TX to pursue my career in
Accounting/Finance. I will be receiving my master’s degree in the summer, In Shaa Allah.
I learned so much and met so many beautiful people while working with CAIR-TX. I would like to also express my gratitude to my mentor and Executive Director of CAIR-TX, Br. Faizan Syed. When I look back at my knowledge of leadership, community interaction, and communication skills, I see a much more refined version of myself now compared to late 2020, when I first joined CAIR-TX. Beyond any workshops or classes, direct observation of Director Syed’s work and action helped me improve on the skills I just highlighted. We as a community are fortunate to have him as CAIR-TX Executive Director, Alhamdulillah.
Next, I would like to shout out to my dear team and colleagues. Masha Allah, the CAIR-TX organization, has excellent people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, which acts as a gel to keep the work moving successfully. As Youth Coordinator, I received a lot of help from my colleagues working in various departments, and I am very thankful for that. I really could not have done it without them.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of this journey was the various interaction opportunities I had with several Muslim communities in Texas. The groundbreaking year of the innovative Lifelong Leadership Afterschool Program in 2020 offered me the first real chance of community-level interaction after the pandemic had frozen us off for several months. In addition to LLAP, I was welcomed by Young Muslim Leadership Council President Haneen Naseef when I first took oversight of the YMLC. Since then, with the guidance of Director Syed and our talented students, I was able to oversee the growth of YMLC from six leaders to 36 total leaders spanning one central board, six local branches, and three delegates outside of DFW.
Most notably, in this message, I would like to end how I began: with the name of Allah SWT. Whatever good we do comes from Allah, and I first remind myself of that to you all. All credit goes to Him, Lord of the Worlds, and our ultimate sustainer. Ramadan Kareem!
Sincerely,
Sabeeh A. Anjum