Scholars

Aitzaz Ali pursues law degree at University of the Punjab in Pakistan. He is the founder of a welfare organization called Qadar Bashar. Throughout his career, he has worked at the national and international levels as a Global Youth Ambassador at Theirworld and as the Country Director of IYAP. He’s an education and climate activist, a speaker, and an advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. His vision is the “deference of mankind.”

Alba Giol is from Catalonia. She studied Social Work at the University of Girona. She did her final project about how this profession can contribute to fighting the climate crisis, according to how it affects vulnerable groups. That research helped her focus her professional training on sustainable development. That is how she decide to study for a Master’s degree in Environment, Sustainability and SDGs, which is focused on the UN 2030 Agenda and brings a whole view of sustainability on its three edges. Right now, Alba is doing her Master’s internship with UN Etxea, participating in some projects about environmental education, the climate crisis, and human rights. She has a particular interest in the relationship between the climate crisis, social exclusion, and inequalities. She had not particularly studied the link between these sectors in the university degree and she feels that nowadays it has become part of the base of social change. She also shares the idea that we are now facing a very complex problem, which means we need multidisciplinary solutions. This will lead everyone to be involved and contribute as much as we can, working together as a society and empowering community work, to ensure a better future for the next generations and even for ourselves.

Amanda Creary completed her graduate studies at Mercer University, gaining her Master of Public Health degree. She has been working for Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), a program at The Task Force for Global Health, a non-profit subsidiary of Emory University. She previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supporting grants, proposals, contracts, and the Office of Budget Services. At TEPHINET, Amanda provides project management, logistical and programmatic support for multiple projects and special initiatives. Most recently, she has worked with Polio Eradication efforts in Pakistan and supports the in-country Field Epidemiology Laboratory Training Program. She has a passion for healthcare, humanitarianism, and servitude and excitement to use knowledge, skills, and mentorship to continue a career in global health. During Amanda’s free time, she volunteers as a patient advocate, helping low-income families and individuals with medical debt forgiveness, which has also influenced her career in the public health sector.

Ambreen Kokab Shah is a technology and transformation consultant, futurist, and professional advisor. Ambreen brings 11 years of diversified corporate experience from across the telecom industry. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from NED University of Engineering and Technology, she joined satellite company SUPARCO as an Assistant Manager in the Systems Engineering Department. In 2011, Ambreen entered the corporate world by joining Ericsson Pakistan, where she consulted local and international telecommunications giants in the design and optimization of wireless networks, deployment and performance management, presales, and service delivery. Her combined exposure to technical and management issues enabled her to build customer and inter-departmental relationships and develop conflict resolution skills. While earning her Executive MBA from the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi in 2017, she became passionate about social entrepreneurship, especially in the field of education and training. She volunteered as a Baghban Ambassador to transform underprivileged communities with the Citizen Foundation, judged tech projects at universities, mentored Smart City ideation at a hackathon competition, and served as an Innovation Mentor at the 2018 Ericsson Innovation Awards. Ambreen is also a Global Ambassador at WomenTech Network and Circle Chair of Lean In Pakistan Tech. She started her own consulting firm AKS Consulting Space in 2020, which aspires to transform youth, women and organizations through an emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals. A gold medalist and NLP certified, Ambreen loves to travel and has explored 8 countries.

Anjanoro Rabarijaona has four years of experience in the non-profit sector and earned a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. While working in Madagascar as a Recruitment and Procedures Supervisor with Population Services International, she helped improve the public health of vulnerable populations through a malaria control program and a reproductive, maternal, and neonatal HIV health program. Previously, Anjanoro worked as Human Resources Assistant for five years in an establishment in the health sector, where she participated in ensuring company employees and their families had access to basic care. Through these experiences, she developed interpersonal communication and talent management skills. Anjanoro enjoys focusing on the topic of public health.

Anya has 5+ years of experience working with small companies and non-profits, and earned a Bachelors of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Smith College. She currently serves as Corporate Communications Project Manager at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, an organization focused on addressing unmet needs in the mental health field through the development psychedelic-assisted therapies, where she supports the leadership team with communications and company culture. Prior to her current role, Anya worked as a project manager, marketing research assistant, and ‘chief of staff’ in a variety of industries including: environmental advocacy and wildlife rehabilitation, cybersecurity, entertainment, wellness, and career coaching. Anya also spent a year serving the homeless population through a volunteer program, where she gained a greater understanding of the complexity of addressing poverty and public health, at scale for those who need it most. Throughout these experiences, she developed a greater understanding of the many systemic issues that get in the way of social innovation and development.

Aristide Ramarolahy holds a degree in Communications from the University of Antananarivo and a Master’s degree in Business Intelligence Management from the University of Fianarantsoa. While working as a Communication Assistant at the NGO Ny Tanintsika in Fianarantsoa, he helped improve the lives of the people and the grassroots organizations bordering the rainforest in southeast Madagascar. This improved the lives of vulnerable households by facilitating access to safe drinking water, education, health, and environmental protection. Aristide also worked as a volunteer with SKIP Southampton for the promotion of hygiene, adolescent reproductive health, and English language extension. Through these experiences, Aristide gained the necessary skills for effective communication for behavior change and sustainable development. These skills have helped him to desire to always help others, by working for the good of all.

Awaisha Inayat is a professional psychologist who has a diverse working experience in the fields of counseling, academia, and human resources. She is currently working as People Partner at Arbisoft in People Operations and Development. She has previously led a sports franchise – Bagh Stallions – as their Brand & Communications Manager in the first season of Kashmir Premier League becoming the first female Team Manager of Men’s cricket in Pakistan. After graduating as a psychology major in 2015 from the University of Karachi, she got affiliated with renowned schools as Student Counselor and has also been involved in academia where she served as visiting faculty in 3 universities in Karachi: University of Karachi, Institute of Business Management, and Iqra University. During this time, she successfully published two papers in HEC-recognized journals of Pakistan on the portrayal of mental disability and classroom engagement. Awaisha’s main interest in the social change sector is mental health and well-being. She is inspired by the idea of building healthier communities and has a passion for making a difference in people’s lives. For this end, she founded ‘Rahnuma’ which is a digital platform for counseling, therapy, mentoring, and coaching. It is Rahnuma’s vision to facilitate people in finding their paths and reimagining community mental well-being and support. Awaisha is always looking forward to learning new techniques to empower people and takes pleasure in perpetual growth. She is also working actively to de-stigmatize mental health support in Pakistan.