Whether he was based at Princeton, Oxford, or Karachi, Hasan has played an active role in local communities. The groups that he has been most involved with are undergraduate students, graduate students and their families, and local Muslim communities. This page lists brief descriptions of his engagements with these groups, followed by some snapshots of his varied activities.
Mentoring & supporting undergraduate students
Hasan has engaged extensively with undergraduate students in different capacities. For instance, Hasan served as a Resident Graduate Student (RGS) at Forbes, one of Princeton's six residential colleges for undergraduates. In addition to offering programming such as movie workshops, study breaks and study sessions, Hasan organised special events such as 'Life After College: Grad School'. His role as RGS has been complemented by his involvement with a mentorship program for History majors. Earlier, during his time at Oxford, Hasan volunteered for the Good Lad Initiative (GLI), a London-based NGO, undertaking special training to lead workshops with undergraduate men's varsity teams to promote healthy masculinity.
Serving local Muslim communities
Back in high school, Hasan and his future wife were leading character development sessions for middle-schoolers, inspired by the blessed character traits inculcated within the Islamic tradition. That passion has continued over the years. At Princeton, together with his wife (and recently a baby daughter), Hasan has been an integral part of the Muslim community, regularly leading halaqas, zikr (collective remembrance of God), and the weekly jummah (Friday) prayers. Hasan has also travelled widely across the US and Pakistan to give lectures and lead poetry and film workshops at different universities and community centers.
Advocating for graduate students and families
Hasan has actively served his fellow graduate students. At Oxford, he was elected the Welfare Officer at Linacre College, where he acted as the central point of advocacy for a diverse cohort of 500 students from more than 50 different countries on issues of equal opportunities and discrimination (such as disability, gender, caring responsibilities, race, ethnicity, and religion). At Princeton, he was elected the History department's representative to the Graduate Student Government. In addition, he served as a University Administrative Fellow for Campus Recreation to help make gym and other sports facilities better accessible to graduate students. He has also helped advocate for the financial and social needs of graduate student families.
