By Aicha Bangoura
Attending one of the nation’s top public universities – ranked number 17 by U.S. News this year – often means that student’s feel the need to take a break. For Hadia Malik, a junior majoring in architecture at the University of Maryland, stepping back has never been an option.  

Malik, whose family originates from Pakistan, comes from a background rooted in education. Her mother earned a master’s degree in economics and spent 25 years as a professor, while her father holds a bachelor’s degree in math. Although architecture differs from her parent’s background, Malik chose this major to challenge herself and carve out her own journey. 

“When I was younger I realized I wanted to dedicate my life to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and there’s a lot of careers that women can go through, which include teaching, being a doctor, but I’m not a science person, I didn’t ever want to be a doctor,” Malik said. “I wanted to do something more challenging.” 

Malik dealt with stress and anxiety when entering UMD, mainly because of her undecided major. She used the website, International Association of Ahmadiyya Architects and Engineers to ultimately choose her major. She said that stumbling across this website was a sign from God, and she instantly felt at ease. 

As the president of the UMD Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association for Women, Malik works alongside many driven women. According to Malik, the international association was established at UMD this year. The organization’s primary goal is to encourage the Ahmadiyya female students to connect to their faith, provide support and to build sisterhood regardless of religious background.

As the club is rather new on campus and exclusive to women, Malik wants the legacy’s idea to be empowering. 

“We’re emphasizing that women are not oppressed,” she said. 

Sofia Castiblanco, a senior majoring in architecture, attended a painting event in October that was held by AMSAW. She said that although she is of Catholic faith, she enjoyed learning about the Ahmadiyya religion. 

Castiblanco speaks on the sisterhood aspect to the club, saying that is something she values about the organization. 

“It’s always important to have a space where you’re around people that are similar to you,” Castiblanco said. 

Washma Ahmed, a senior majoring in information science and member of AMSAW, is a close friend to Malik.

“[Since I’ve known Malik I have] seen her grow into a very dependable person with an outshining personality,” Ahmed said. “The AMSAW club meetings are very nice, as we all get together and relax as we do different activities.” 

Hibah Chaudhry, a sophomore information science major and vice president of AMSAW, feels that Malik is the best person to be the president of the organization. 

“She works so hard, she never makes anyone feel like they’re not doing enough or she’s doing so much more than they are,” she said. “She always is the one to plan times for our meetings for budgeting.” 

After graduating, Malik hopes to become a licensed architect and give back to the community.

“Excelling in education is extremely important, so as a student, my goal is to try my best to [excel] in this field,” Malik said. “ In the future, after I feel I have sufficient experience, I hopefully would write to the calif and devote myself to the community.” 

Malik views architecture as a lifelong commitment to helping humanity. She believes the profession offers opportunities such as serving in remote villages in Africa with the architect plan or in South America, providing support where it is needed most. For Malik, the focus has never been on profit, but rather on how she can impact humanity. 

Outside of architecture, Malik also works as a video editor for The Review of Religions, and specifically edits for a subdivision of a magazine known as The Existence Project. According to Malik, the main goal of the project is to present the teachings of Islam and inspire readers. She  explained that while she didnt come up with the concepts herself, she’s grateful to express creativity. 

“I get to propagate the name of Islam Ahmadiyya through editing, which I love doing, so I am just grateful,” she said. 

Additionally, she tutors students with disabilities through the TerpsEXCEED program at UMD, in the course EDSP311. “It’s a great experience just getting to know the students and helping them have normal college experience,” Malik said. “Everyone’s at different levels and they all have different needs and I get to support them.” 

Malik explained how grateful she is for her shared experiences and the ability to make an impact on the UMD community.

“The only reason I’m successful and still going through school is that I think that God has helped me so much,” she said.

Featured Image: Hadia Malik, the president of the UMD Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association for Women. Photo provided by Hadia Malik.