Raaheela Ahmed

Raaheela Ahmed is a Democratic politician and member of the Prince George's County Board of Education in Maryland, representing District 5.[2][3][4] She assumed office in 2016 and resigned on February 19, 2022.[5]

Raaheela Ahmed
Prince George's County Board of Education District 5
In office
2016–2022
Preceded byVerjeana Jacobs
Personal details
Born
Raaheela Shukoor Ahmed

(1993-07-22) July 22, 1993
Bowie, Maryland, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Parents
  • Shukoor Ahmed[1] (father)
  • Nabeela Ahmed[1] (mother)
RelativesShabnam Ahmed (sister)[1]
EducationB.S. in finance and B.A. in economics
Alma materUniversity of Maryland, College Park
ProfessionActivist, Politician, Deputy Director of national non-profit
Websitewww.raaheela.com

Raaheela also serves as the deputy director of Campus Vote Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on institutionalizing voting and civic engagement on hundreds of college campuses across the country.[6]

Early life and education

Raaheela was born in 1994 to Ahmed family. She is the daughter of an Indian father "Shukoor Ahmed" and Pakistani mother "Nabeela Ahmed".[7] In May 2011, Raheela graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School with above a 4.0 cumulative GPA in the Science and Technology Program. She did an honors course of B.S. in finance and a B.A. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.[8]

Political career

In 2012, at an early age of 18, Raaheela contested for the elections for Prince George's County Board of Education District 5 but lost the elections by 3% to Verjeana Jacobs.[9][10]

She made her comeback in 2016 for the elections and emerged as the winner with 57% of the total votes.[11][12][4]

And on November 3, 2020, she again won in the general election for Prince George's County Board of Education District 5 with 98.2% votes.[13][14]

Raaheela served as the Manager of Leadership Programs at New American Leaders,[15] where she managed the 500+ strong national network of first- and second- generation immigrant elected officials, and also worked with the Global Public Sector at Grant Thornton LLP as an Advisory Associate.[16]

She served as the Student Regent on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, representing over 150,000 students at 12 universities in Maryland.[17] In Prince George's County, Raaheela has served as a court-appointed special advocate for foster care youth (CASA), founded a financial literacy organization serving county students, and conducted literacy workshops in a dozen county elementary schools. She's earned a B.S. in Finance and B.A. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she's also received numerous awards for her leadership and public service.[18]

Awards and recognition

Raaheela honored with multiple awards and has been covered by multiple media outlets, including CNN,[19] ELLE magazine,[20] NBC,[21] FOX,[22] The Washington Post,[23] and many more.

  • 2020 Young Elected Officials Network 35 Under 35 Honoree[24]
  • Prince George's County Young Democrat of the Year[25]
  • 2011 Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's with a Governor's Citation for her Outstanding Services[26]
  • David Craig Memorial Scholarship Fund Award[27]
  • Marguerite DeRosa Memorial Award[27]

References
  1. Kapoor, Aekta. "11 Elections, 3 Wins: The Ahmed Family Of Maryland Doesn't Give Up". Moneycontrol.
  2. "Raaheela Ahmed, District 5". www.pgcps.org.
  3. "Elected Officials | Prince George's County, MD". princegeorgescountymd.gov.
  4. "Raaheela Ahmed". Ballotpedia.
  5. "Prince Georges School Board Resignation/". Washingtonpost.
  6. "Staff". Campus Vote Project.
  7. indiatimes, timesofindia. "timesofindia". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  8. "Meet The Candidate: Raaheela Ahmed Runs For Board Of Education". Campus Vote Project. October 28, 2020.
  9. online, americanbazaar. "americanbazaaronline". americanbazaaronline.com.
  10. "Young Indian American wins school board election primaries". The Indian Express. April 16, 2012.
  11. "Raheela Ahmed: 23-year-old Indian-origin woman wins local election in US – Times of India". The Times of India.
  12. org, pgcps. "pgcps". pgcps.org.
  13. "Raaheela Ahmed reelected Maryland county board of education member". The American Bazaar. November 7, 2020.
  14. "Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland, elections (2020)". Ballotpedia.
  15. "StackPath". newamericanleaders.org.
  16. "Education is my heart". Grantthornton.com.
  17. "Raaheela Ahmed". www.usmd.edu.
  18. "Keynote – Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic". midatlantic.compact.org.
  19. "Young politicos run for school board seats in Maryland". CNN.
  20. Minutaglio, Rose (August 18, 2020). "Women's Suffrage Was a Milestone. But We Haven't Reached the Endpoint". ELLE.
  21. Wilkins, Tracee. "Prince George's Public Schools Public-Private Proposal Gets Push Back". NBC4 Washington.
  22. Watts, Lindsay (July 7, 2021). "PGCPS board members petition state to remove board chair". FOX 5 DC.
  23. Constable, Pamela (May 23, 2016). "Young Muslim American women try to succeed in politics in ways their fathers couldn't". The Washington Post.
  24. "35 Under 35". YEO Network.
  25. Wiggins, Ovetta (August 12, 2012). "Three college students running for school board in Prince George's County". The Washington Post.
  26. "University System of Maryland". www.usmd.edu.
  27. "Community News (V14-I7) – The Muslim Observer | Muslim News | Muslim in America | TMO". The Muslim Observer | Muslim News | Muslim in America | TMO. February 9, 2012.
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