Sharifa Halimi currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the South Asia Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where she leads a range of outreach initiatives. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Speakers Bureau, developing partnerships with Community Colleges, Minority-Serving Institutions, and K-12 schools in the greater Philadelphia area, and managing the Center’s Summer Institute. She also coordinates South Asia-focused programming in collaboration with the Penn Museum and organizes all public-facing outreach events. Additionally, Sharifa runs the South Asia Center’s Summer Research Internships and the Pulitzer Fellowship for International Reporting.
Beyond her work at the South Asia Center, Sharifa is the founder of the Afghans of Philadelphia (AOP), one of the city’s first organizations dedicated to supporting the Afghan community. Through her outreach efforts, she works to engage the local community with South Asian-related topics, offering new perspectives and fostering cross-cultural understanding. Sharifa is committed to creating opportunities that help students and community members explore global perspectives by building meaningful connections.
Sharifa is currently serving as a Committee Member for the 2024-2025 South Asia Book Awards. In this role, she will be reviewing book submissions and playing an integral part in the selection process for the awards. To learn more about SABA, please click here.
Sharifa earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Special Education from Temple University. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in School and Mental Health Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Upon completion of her program, Sharifa plans to obtain her Master's degree and pursue licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).