Changing the world her own way
Thahani receiving her award
When Thahani Salih’s family moved to the US, she was just a tot of seven going on eight (literally-her birthday was in two weeks). Moving to Chicago so young meant she was adaptable to new things, excited rather than apprehensive about the dramatic change in environment. Seventeen years later, she was the first Sri Lankan recipient of the Asian Exemplary Civic Service Award (2013) in the US, given to those with outstanding track records in community service and development.
Moving to a new country came with its own challenges, of course, she tells us over an email interview. “Being away from my grandmother and cousins was hard since I was always with them back in Sri Lanka. Luckily for me English was my first language so I didn’t have any language issues. I made a lot of friends at school-they found it cool that I was from a different country and that my accent sounded like The Spice Girls!”
Her community service work began from an early age. During her high school years Thahani volunteered at Helping Hands, a clinic for low income individuals and families, along with volunteering at school blood drives. It gave her a sense of appreciation for the trials of human life, already determining her own life’s purpose. After high school she joined Loyola University in Chicago where she made the Dean’s List and graduated with honours majoring in International Studies with a minor in Peace Studies and Arabic.
That knowledge would certainly come to good use. While in university she volunteered with Oxfam, assisting in hunger banquets, fundraising events and raising awareness about the injustice of poverty. She also joined the Muslim Women Resource Centre to help low income families and individuals apply for government assistance programmes. At the centre, Thahani was responsible for administering the Women, Infant and Children programme, which provided nutrition counselling and food coupons for new mothers and their children.
Thahani at her graduation
While Thahani did all this simply for the joy of helping others, she’s absolutely thrilled to have been nominated and given the award her work both among and outside her own community in the windy city. It was in September that she heard news of her nomination-the ceremony on November 24, was bit of a blur but it went really well, she smiles. “It was such a huge accomplishment for me to be honoured for doing something I genuinely love doing.” She was surprised to also receive a personal letter from President Obama with congratulations and encouragement to keep at her work.
Armed with a degree, experience and passion for what she does, Thahani hopes to direct her energy and resources to work for a humanitarian organisation.
For now, this award will be a reminder to continue with what she loves best and change the world her own way, one small step at a time.