160. HGSE Global Citizens: Kiran Faridi: Building Diverse Communities for a More Harmonious World

Kiran Faridi is the founder and president of IAWV Elementary School. Her passion for education and commitment to fulfilling the needs of the Charleston Muslim community led her to lay the foundation of the first Islamic school in the state of West Virginia in 2019. Ms. Faridi has been devoted to education for over a decade. After earning her Islamic education speakers training from the Islamic Network Group (ING), Berkeley, California, she founded a nonprofit educational organization in her local community— the Islamic Speakers Bureau of West Virginia (ISB-WV), to train Muslim speakers who would visit high schools and colleges and give presentations about Islam, diversity, equity, and inclusion. In our conversation, she highlights the need for global citizens to embrace diversity and learn from other’s differences. Her personal journey of coming to the US as an immigrant from Pakistan, and then contributing her skills and energy to building more inclusive communities in West Virginia is inspiring. Enjoy the conversation!