WAQAR & FARRUKH JAFFERY SCHOLARSHIP IN JOURNALISM

Noran Elzarka received her Juris Doctorate at CUNY School of Law. While there, she was active in the International Refugee Assistance Project at CUNY Law and the National Lawyers Guild’s Parole Preparation Project. She also served as a dean for the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, where she helped build spaces of sisterhood and social justice for young women of color. Noran received her B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Drew University. Her honor's thesis examined the intersections between the prison-industrial complex and the military-industrial complex and the ways in which two racialized wars, the “War on Drugs,” and the “War on Terror” exacerbate one another and the implications of militarization for Black, Brown, and Muslim communities. Noran is currently a Staff Attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services, working with non-citizens in removal proceedings who are at risk of deportation.

Sidra Mahfooz received her J.D. at NYU School of Law and B.A., summa cum laude, in political science and psychology from Stony Brook University. Before law school, she received a government scholarship to study Arabic for a year in Amman, Jordan, where she also worked with refugees and migrant workers. In law school, Sidra served as a senior editor for the Journal of International Law & Politics. She also worked as a research assistant for Professor Satterthwaite, and as a clinic student at the Brennan Center and GJC. She now works as an Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton.

Jalil Muhammad, a native of Rahway, New Jersey, was born into a closely knit family that inculcated in him from an early age the importance of servicing society’s weakest and most dispossessed. Jalil obtained his undergraduate degree in History from Howard University in 2011 and his graduate degree in Teaching Social Studies from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education. Over the last several years, Jalil has expanded his knowledge of history, politics and culture by traveling the world and teaching social studies in one of the largest public school districts in the country. Under his guidance, Advanced Placement standardized test scores increased six fold. Jalil has been featured in dozens of periodicals. His commitment to academic excellence and service to those most in need has made him the recipient of several awards near and dear to his heart. Jalil attended Columbia Law School with plans to pursue a career in law and politics.

Zeinab Khalil is a 2020 ISF Law Scholar and Juris Doctorate Candidate at Columbia University School of Law. She is interested in criminal defense, appellate litigation, and civil rights. Before law school, she worked in advocacy organizations and philanthropic foundations on issues of decarceration, surveillance, and immigration. She spent her 1L summer at the Legal Aid Society’s Special Litigation Unit filing Article 78 petitions on behalf of incarcerated clients; she also worked on a lawsuit challenging the NYPD’s continued use of chokeholds. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from Yale University. She is a staff editor for the Columbia Human Rights Law Review/Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual. She works at the Columbia Law School Writing Center, is a faculty research assistant, and is an extern with the Center for Appellate Litigation. She is also co-president of the Muslim Law Students Association.