Shahirah Elaiza Wan Hassan

Shahirah Elaiza Wan Hassan, Communications and Marketing Manager, discovered the power of her voice when she started a blog to write about her experiences as a young Muslim woman living in New Zealand. She then pursued a career in communications because she witnessed and experienced the power of storytelling and digital media in amplifying underrepresented voices and rethinking dominant narratives and ways of knowing and being. Today, she is an intentional storyteller who creates social change by inspiring action and cultivating trust and empathy.

As a communications specialist, she has implemented communications strategies, business development strategies, and corporate social responsibility programs for educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. As a woman of color, she has facilitated conversations to encourage other women of color to thrive and empower themselves through self-awareness and self-love.

Shahirah is on a mission to meaningfully engage with youth —especially girls, young women, and gender non-conforming youth from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds — and help them to empower themselves by creating safe and inclusive spaces that allow them to discover their unique voices, identities, and leadership skills. She believes youth are essential in any and every social justice movement and that empowered youth are catalysts of change who can challenge and dismantle systems of racial injustice, inequity, inequality, and oppression.

Shahirah earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies from University of Otago and a Master's degree in Media Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in which she explored the role of Twitter in social movements, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Born and raised in Malaysia and then in New Zealand, Shahirah considers herself a global citizen as she now currently lives in Brooklyn, New York City, where she relishes in discovering the city’s exciting performing arts scene (including subway performers!). In her free time, Shahirah likes to write, travel, try new recipes, and go hiking with her family and friends.