Areebah Ajani educates others about her faith

Areebah Ajani of St. Agnes Academy received
The Princeton Prize for 2007 at a ceremony
at the Kinkaid School.
R. Clayton McKee: For The Chronicle

Senior promotes cultural awareness, wins award

Areebah Ajani educates others about her faith

By FLORI MEEKS

Areebah Ajani said she’s been interested in learning about other cultures for as long as she could remember. Her goal is to see others share her enthusiasm.

The 17-year-old St. Agnes Academy senior regularly gives her time to the school’s Diversity Club, and last year she established the school’s Students for Islam Awareness organization.

Now Ajani is receiving citywide recognition for her efforts. The Sugar Land resident is one of the 2007 winners of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations for Houston.

She and fellow recipient A.J. Ledesma of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory accepted their award and the accompanying $1,000 prize during a May 3 ceremony at the Kinkaid School in Memorial.

The award, which is sponsored by Princeton University, honors high school students throughout the United States for promoting harmony, understanding and respect among people of difference races.

Princeton established this prize four years ago, said Mark Poag, president of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee for Houston.

“The feeling was that recognizing young people who take an active role in promoting equality and healing the divide would be beneficial,” the Clear Lake-area resident said.

Ajani was nominated by advanced placement English teacher Tricia McFarlin, sponsor of St. Agnes’ Diversity Club.

“Areeba has just been a real powerhouse, even from the time she was a ninth-grader,” McFarlin said. “She’s been an incredible advocate for tolerance, understanding and respect.”

Being recognized has been an exciting experience, Ajani said. “It’s fantastic to have anyone recognize the work you do and humbling.”

One of the first groups Ajani joined at St. Agnes was the Key Club, a service organization. She went on to serve as a secretary for two years, and now she’s the president. “There’s a strong history of service in my family, and I enjoy getting together with a group of friends,” she said.

Ajani, a Shia Ismaili Muslim, saw the school’s Diversity Club as an opportunity to educate others about her faith. “I saw myself always having to answer questions,” she said. “I decided I needed a platform and to have a united and correct view to present Islam. Then people can go forward in the world and also present correct information.”

She took that effort a step forward when she established Students for Islam Awareness. Her new organization worked closely with the Diversity Club this year to sponsor a Diversity Week dedicated to Islamic awareness.

The final day of the program featured educational sessions about Islamic literature, art, scholars and history presented by community speakers.

In addition to these activities, Ajani participates in her school’s honor society, and she enjoys Indian dancing. She plans to pursue a liberal arts degree at a university next fall.

Aajani is the daughter of Dilawar and Shahnaz Ajani and the granddaughter of Sakina Ajani. She has an 11-year-old sister, Aroosa.

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