Rizouana and her family’s immigration experience from Bangladesh to New York City has always encouraged her to be welcoming. She is a community builder among her peers at school and in her community. Rizouana is passionate about offering the next generation the schools, neighborhoods, hospitals, and world that they deserve. She is a youth leader at Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), advocating for immigration rights and gender justice. Rizouana is like a planet made of all the different particles in the solar system; her interests vary from neuroscience to creative writing, painting to philosophy, and psychology to dinosaurs — and the list goes on. Writing poetry and short stories have helped Rizouana cope with the stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the school year began, she wanted to make a space where her schoolmates could use writing as a form of self-care and build a supportive community. So, she started the student-led creative writing club, Open Your Mind.
Leadership:
- “Open Your Mind” Creative Writing Club, Founder
- Debate Club, President
- Innovation Institute at the New York Hall of Science, Group Leader
