Hello everybody! My name is Sharif, and I am originally from Kakuma, Kenya but grew up in Springfield, MA. I did my first semester of undergrad at Lee-McRae College and after my first year 1/2 transferred to UMass Amherst. At lees-McRae College I majored in Sport Management and criminal Justice with Minor in Athletic Coaching while walking on to the Division-II men’s Lacrosse team. Once I transferred to UMass Amherst, I majored in Sociology and minored in Psychology. I am currently on the route to attain my Master of Education in Education Leadership & Policy with a concertation on higher education administration at Boston University. During my final year of undergrad, I created my own podcast program called Day by Day University to not only advocate about mental health for student of color in education but also educate students and their families about mental health in our communities and fight the stigma associated with such a topic. Throughout my undergraduate years, I worked on integrating myself in the campus & student community through work-study and partnerships to strengthen campus resources for students of color. This experience changed my life and really inspired me to explore higher education and ways to make it accessible to the students of the next generations as well as creating more resources of support and progression for students of color. Outside of the world of education, I like to spend my time either playing FIFA (EA FC now), going on random adventures with friends, and simply trying to enjoy a great view. I’m a huge fanatic when it comes to sports like fútbol, lacrosse, and basketball! I am a fan of the NY Yankees, Pittsburgh steelers, Miami Heat, Boston Bruins, and FC Barcelona. If you want to argue sports I am all for it!!!
1) my favorite color is Red 2) I’m originally from a refugee camp in Kenya 3) my favorite flower is a rose 4)I have two cats one named Joyboy and the other is my little princess Rocky 5) I graduated from UMass Amherst 6) I love nature 7) I hope to attain my PhD in education one day In’Sha’Allah 8) my favorite video game is FIFA 9) my favorite NBA team is the Miami Heat 10) my favorite Futbal team is FC Barcelona 11) I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a minor in psychology 12) I love trees and hiking in nature especially with a view 13) my mentor helped pass the Juneteenth bill 14) I started my own podcast program for mental health in communities of color 15) I want to own my own sports team one day 16) my favorite football team is the Pittsburgh Steelers 17) my cousin was the second overall pick for the 2019 MLS draft 18) I am currently in my master’s for educational leadership & policy at Boston University 19) I walked onto to Lees-McRae College D-II men’s lacrosse team 20) my plate will always include chicken rice & beans 21) I have a speech impediment 22) I won the “sociology in practice” award senior year of 2022 23)I am Somalian 24) I’m a Sagittarius ♐️ 25) Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Alexander the Great are 3 individuals leadership and knowledge I try to follow