Nadia is an exceptionally bright and mature young professional, making waves in the political lobbying and activism world. Raised in the Southern US, Nadia came to DC to pursue her high school interest in politics and has successfully made it into a career within a very short span of time. She has led really impactful initiatives with the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC and is now working with Van Scoyoc, a leading congressional lobbyist firm, which boasts the Government of Pakistan as one of its clients among many other recognizable names from the corporate and public sectors.

We met with Nadia to learn about her drive for building stronger political influence for the Pakistani American community. We found her to be a role model for all young Pakistanis who want to see a brighter future with greater social recognition for themselves and their peers in this increasingly intertwined world.

Tell us about yourself...

I grew up in the South and am a senior at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. I was always part of the typical Pakistani-American community where everyone was becoming a doctor. But since high school I've been really interested in politics and activism. I wanted to pursue something in the political arena because I believe that in order to be a more influential community we need to have a stronger political presence.

How did you get a professional start?

It started with the Pakistan Embassy. I wanted to do something for Pakistan and I had written to the Embassy asking how I could help. It took a while and persistent effort to get an appointment with the DCM. Eventually, I met with Mr. Sadiq and we discussed different ideas. One of the assignments he gave me was to analyze what the Embassy could do for the Pakistani American community. I didn't really know the answer so I started emailing my friends' parents asking them questions about what the Embassy could do for them. My research resulted in a 20-25 page report. I mailed it to the DCM and then pursued a meeting with him to review the results. He agreed that there were some things that the Embassy could do, but recognized others that they couldn't. A lot of it boiled down to the Embassy not having enough staff, so I proposed starting an internship program. The timing was perfect because the Embassy was moving to the new facility, where the DCM made a big effort to accommodate the interns. He actually made structural changes to cut down his office in half and provide space for interns. The response was amazing-- we got 40 responses within a 10-day period. And since then, the program has become one of the best in Washington.

What are some other initiatives you've contributed to for the Pakistani American community?

Another big area that emerged from our work with the Embassy was public diplomacy or community relations. Until the first summer that the Embassy had interns, there had not been a formal 14th August event. Now the Embassy has a mailing list and does events every other week. It was a great change for the community to see younger faces and their energy has made the Embassy an institution in the community.

Where does the Rising Leaders enter the picture?

Last summer I started the Rising Leaders program. Ever since I started my internship, I wanted to start a young professionals' program. A friend of mine gave me the idea that there should be an organization that would give students and people in their 20s a platform to network and do something for Pakistan. We started out as an organization for young people who are interested in politics. Then we held a strategic vision conference, from which we got the feedback to expand the scope to more than just politics. The people wanted to be part of an organization that would enable them to expand their own skills and also expand the awareness among their peers and broaden the thinking and attitude towards political and atypical fields. Mr. Sadiq at the Embassy really helped us out, by allowing us to hold our events at the Embassy, identifying speakers for us, and generally helping us reach out to the community. Now, the organization is not restricted to politics alone. It's expanded to nontraditional fields including politics, journalism, and the arts. These are influence building fields and our goal is to build a more influential Pakistani American community. For more information about Rising Leaders, people can visit www.risingleaders.org

You are now working for Van Scoyoc Associates, a congressional lobbying firm - tell us about what you do...

Van Scoyoc Associates is a really prestigious congressional lobbying firm. Pakistan is one of their biggest clients. I interned with them this summer and now I'm working with them in addition to studying at Georgetown. One account I lobby for is a very large corporate client, on a tax issue. It's an interesting issue and I'm learning a lot. I also work on the Pakistan account. So basically I lucked out and am working on their two biggest clients. Right now, I'm working about 15 hours a week with them and my main responsibility is to add congressional cosponsors to a bill for one of their clients. I make phone calls to sponsors and talk to the Congressman or Congresswoman's assistants.

What does it take to be a good performer at this stage in your career?

You need to know the issue you're marketing and quickly grasp the person's attitude to strike a good balance. It is very hard to get in touch with the person and even to start off with, it's an art of how you even get them on the phone. Then you don't want to push too hard or make them feel like you're telling them what they already know. It's a good balance between conveying your message in a friendly and professional way. It's a very interesting job!

So far in the community, a few wealthy individuals have relationships with members of Congress. But most people are not involved and don't know how to be. How can you get broad-based, grassroots support from the community?

What I'm doing in my own community is to talk to people about the Caucus and then ask them to petition to their representative to join. I did it at a dinner party and got over 30 signatures. I got a community leader involved and my parents circulated the petition and got about 70. If I did it on Eid, I could get 200 signatures. People never knew about the Caucus before, and now they are asking about it. Anyone can duplicate the process. And once you have a petition, you set up a meeting with the Congress member's District Office and begin to engage him/her. From that point onwards, you can really build a better access to the member, invite them to community events, do fundraisers for them, and generally build a stronger relationship with your representative who can truly represent your interests and look after them. I think it is a critical step towards building a better future for Pakistani Americans in the US.

Lobbying to increase membership on the Congressional Pakistan Caucus was challenging in the beginning. We could only add 3 members because there wasn't any constituent support. If there was interest from the constituents, even just a few phone calls and letters, then the member of Congress would be more receptive.

What kind of sentiments do you observe within the Pakistani American community, given all your interaction and outreach to them?

Pakistani Americans feel more comfortable with a Muslim American or Desi American identity. That's not going to do much for us in the long term. We need to build a stronger understanding and appreciation of our Pakistani heritage and assert it, because we are different from other Muslim countries, and we are not "basically Indian." If we do a lot for South Asian causes, that's great, but in the end, we have to see if our efforts are adding something to our own influence and strength as a community or diluting it. None of the other communities are going to look after our interest. We have to be more prominent and visible ourselves and assert our identity.

So what is Pakistani identity?

I only began to answer that question a few weeks ago when I started taking an Urdu poetry class. It's amazing because I realize I am learning my history for the first time-as a 21 year old. I could have gone my whole life without learning about it, but you know, you never know what's missing till you find it. Anyway, there is so much history embodied in Urdu-of Persian poets, Sufi mystics, and Moghul emperors. The history of our heritage dates back to the migrations caused by the Mongol invasions in the 1200s, and even to the beginning of time if you take it back to Harappa and Mohenjodaro. It's really silly when people say there is nothing unique about Pakistani identity. If you read a poem or listen to our music, you can feel what it means to be a Pakistani-you don't have to explain or justify it to anyone.

Why do you think there is this identity crisis of sorts for Pakistani Americans?

People who moved to the US because they were disillusioned with Pakistan are not going to pass on the national pride to their children. I've seen many examples of parents who were so disheartened by their setup or opportunities in Pakistan that they try to disassociate themselves and their children from Pakistan. It's unfortunate, but true. I think it is essential to build more knowledge about Pakistan to counter this. When you're growing up in another country, it's more difficult to understand what the problems are and why those problems exist. We need to understand why we haven't had a successful democratic government, understand the causes like corruption, and really have our own perspective on Pakistan. There's a desperate need to realize that Pakistan itself needs to be studied; I don't even understand why that hasn't been stressed more. We know about Palestinian history than Pakistani history!

Isn't it easier and simpler to go with being a "Muslim American" or "Desi American"?

I was raised as a Muslim American; but I don't feel like I'm the same as all other Muslims. There's a part that goes missing when you're just stressing the religious part of your identity, and that's your cultural heritage. Not all Muslim countries have a culture similar to Pakistan. Now I find myself relating the most to my American and Pakistani heritage than anything else. There's no confusion there. It's a matter of realizing that you are an American, being fully American, but staying informed by your Pakistani heritage. Sure, there are cultural differences and it's great to preserve them, but you can't lose your American identity in favor of your Pakistani heritage, and vice versa. There are a lot of cultural commonalities between us and other Americans which we may not share with people who live in Pakistan, because we grew up here!

In conclusion, what do you see as the best way to overcome this gap between our heritage and our acceptance of it?

Teaching kids about Pakistan itself. We hear a lot about being Pakistani and what we should or shouldn't do. But nobody really spends time to teach us about Pakistan, its history, issues, and the culture. What is happening today between US and Pakistan, is a repeat of the 80s; I have more of an awareness because I've started reading about it. But a lot of people won't understand the fragility of this relationship between the two countries unless they truly understand Pakistan's history and what has happened.