Khadeejah Alsheikh and Yusur Al Ogaidi
Ages 16
Osbourn Park High School
Manassas, Virginia
As part of the Climate Leaders Fellowship, Khadeejah and her project partner Yusur are fostering sustainable practices at the community Mosque. Their focus is on educating the Muslim community about environmental issues and implementing recycling practices.
They have introduced new recycling procedures, recycling boxes and replaced disposable utensils with reusable ones at the Mosque. They have provided educational sessions to the community, particularly the youth, emphasizing the positive impacts of recycling.
Khadeejah’s suggestion of using a PowerPoint presentation followed by a lively game of Kahoot captivates and educates the young audience. Additionally, Yusur’s idea of planting trees and creating a garden at the Mosque provides an interactive and fun way for the youth to learn about the environment.
Having an interest in science and nature since she was little, Khadeejah plans to major in Biomedical Engineering to achieve one of her biggest goals of becoming an Orthopedic surgeon. In her free time she loves to play softball, surf, horseback ride, read and is currently writing her own sci-fi novel!
Yusur always dreamt of becoming a dentist and plans to major in biology in college. He also aspires to become a professional boxer in the future. In his free time, he loves playing sports and participating in after school activities like clubs.
Khadeejah advises to just jump in and don’t be afraid to make a splash! Doing simple things like recycling a water bottle, or using a reusable water bottle make huge impacts. As soon as you have an idea, just go ahead and try it. You’ll be amazed at the things you’ll accomplish!
Yusur advises to be mindful of others and others will mind you. Make sure to be outgoing and leave a positive impression of yourself wherever you go because you’ll be rewarded back with what you gave to others.