Maria Arshad.

Charity Challange, Waterloo Manger

‘Stop talking, start doing’ is Maria’s modus operandi. Inspired by attending the AlKauthar courses in Toronto, Maria understood the value of bringing these courses to the vibrant and growing Muslim community in the region of Waterloo. Undeterred by the challenges of introducing a new institution and format of learning to the city, Maria has served as the Ameera of AlKauthar Waterloo since the program’s inception and also has been an active member of the Mercy Mission initiatives. Her goal is to establish Mercy Mission as a success story in the Region of Waterloo. Currently, she is serving as the Waterloo Manager of Charity Challenge and is expanding the local team in order to begin other projects. Waterloo is set to launch “Meet the Neighbours” as well.

Maria is no stranger to venturing out into uncharted waters. Her extensive involvement in extracurricular activities at the University of Waterloo have enabled her to take on many exciting roles and given her exposure to a broad spectrum of activities, interests and personalities in the community. Her projects range from serving as a mechanical lead for the UW Midnight Sun solar race car team to coaching grade 4 and 5 students at the FIRST Robotics competition to serving as an executive of the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference.

Maria holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and lives with her 3 siblings and parents in Waterloo. When she is not teaching at a weekend Islamic school, organizing the TEDxWaterloo conference, or keeping up with her Mercy Mission roles, she enjoys cooking, spending time with family, embarking on adventures with friends and traveling.