A platform for young Pakistani-Americans to have conversations

Pakistani-Americans rarely hold an event focusing on key dimensions of human resource development including political empowerment and professional career advancement of the young people.

So, it was like a puff of fresh air when the National Association of Pakistani-Americans hosted a discussion with young people including high school students, fresh university graduates and upcoming professionals.

The initiative brought together a constellation of promising young boys and girls with wide-ranging talents and ambitions to excel in the fields of their choice.

The underlying theme of the event did not ignore the fact that individually Pakistani-American professionals and students are among the highest achievers in the country. But the occasion provided a platform for conversation on how networking could help the young people groom and prosper with all-round success as professionals in America’s national life as well as valuable members of the community.

Adnan Bokhari set the stage for discussion by using analogy of seamless water flow in a stream for the constant requirement of embracing and honing new skills in the highly competitive American market.

The discussion at Aabshaar Restaurant in Springfield, Va. centered around the question of how young Pakistani-Americans be mentored and facilitated to have access to economic and political opportunity at local and state levels through a network of their seniors and peers within their own and mainstream communities.

The students found it useful to be face-to-face with some of the political stalwarts in Washington metro area including Faisal Gill, an attorney who ran for Virginia State Senate and Dr. Babur Latif, who contested for chairmanship of Prince William County.

Both leaders drew on their experiences to have a conversation with the participants and offered their support for anyone willing to volunteer or seeking internship at local and state public offices.

The discussion was also marked by openness and a candid expression of views. For example a participant raised the question of gaps or disconnects between how immigrant parents want their children to pursue certain traditionally lucrative professions in medicine and engineering and how students growing up in the United States want to go for newer areas of IT, academics, sciences, business entrepreneurship and even arts.

Significantly, there was a consensus that forcing young people into joining certain fields is like trying to fit them into a predetermined framework with no scope for creativity, and that there was a need to hold discussions on this very subject in a way that helps both parents and the children.

It was also heartening to see young people show enthusiasm for thinking professions like journalism – a route rarely taken by Pakistani-Americans but whose importance has never been felt more intensely than it is now in the face of ongoing challenges.

Muhammad Akbar Chaudhry, chairman of NAPA, pledged to make such events a regular feature so that young Pakistani-Americans have an opportunity to share their experiences and benefit from the insight of successful members and leaders of the community. Views and News backed the initiative to afford a platform to young Pakistani-Americans where they are able to share, explore and discover ideas and networks to advance as successful citizens.

Bokhari, who moderated the discussion, captured the spirit of the gathering in a Facebook post when he quoted a young student Muhammad Ali as saying ” Our community needs to invest in its youth now so we can return it (pay it forward) tenfold in the future.”