Hasib Muhammad is a rising senior from Suwanee, Georgia.
Hello! My name is Hasib Muhammad, and I am a rising senior at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. I was born in Singapore, a small independent country on the tip of Malaysia. Singapore is often regarded as one of the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly places in the world, so maybe that is from where I get my environmental spirit.
Growing up, I noticed how young people had creative, spunky solutions to the world's plethora of problems. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be giving those ideas any credit because "kids were too young to make a difference." That really got on my nerves because age is not a determination of maturity. To give youth a voice in the environmental movement, I started working with Greening Forward, the fastest-growing and largest youth-staffed environmental nonprofit organization in the United States! Greening Forward brings youth to the forefront of the environmental movement by giving them the resources they need to assess and act on the problems in their communities: grants, educational curriculum, networking opportunities, and more! As Vice-President of Engagement, I have the honor of bridging the gap between youth and environmentalism.
In addition, I serve on several youth boards where I add youth voice into organization dialogues. I serve on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a group of 30 young people from across the United States and Canada that donates $5 million annually to service-learning projects, many of which are environmentally related! I also serve on the Keep America Beautiful National Youth Advisory Council and The Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council. I enjoy being able to network with other environmentally-conscious young people.
Furthermore, I enjoy public speaking immensely. After realizing the power of youth voice from my work with Greening Forward, I wanted to shout my message of global youth empowerment from the rooftops! Public speaking has given me a platform on which I can share my ideas on how governments, corporations, and other influential entities can get young people involved to create collective change. From the Microsoft to the United Nations, I have been able to advocate for youth across the United States.
In my spare time, I love volunteering and helping out in my community. As the Georgia State President of the Beta Club, I see how young people are improving my very state. Also, I like to read and write. My favorite books are narrative non-fiction, literally true stories! Hopefully, one day I can be a published novelist or something, but for now, you can catch me blogging from time to time.
I am incredibly honored to be going on an expedition to Greenland. I cannot wait to experience all that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has to offer. I still cannot believe it! I am really excited to be making a lot of new friends and memories as well. Hopefully, I will be able to snap some interesting pictures along the way! Being on an arctic landscape for three weeks, that is not something I can even dream, but it will soon become a reality.