Mustafa Ibrahim, a Family, Youth, and Community Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Instruction has been named one of three fellows for the 2007-2008 Graduate Fellowships on Philanthropy and Human Rights, a joint venture between HECUA, the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs, and the Otto Bremer Foundation. The three fellows will spend the academic year working on individual research projects that will involve collaboration with local communities and nonprofit organizations while integrating their research with academic objectives. They will work at the Otto Bremer Foundation’s St. Paul office, have access to resources and community contacts, attend seminars and conferences related to philanthropy and human rights and receive a $13,500 stipend to support their research.
Mustafa’s main goal is to understand the social and cultural life of the Somalis in the Twin Cities. He will investigate how newly arrived immigrant communities like Somalis and others can be successful in the United States socially, economically and politically while still maintaining their culture and social capitol. Mustafa is especially interested in researching the educational struggles that many Somali youth are facing today in the Twin Cities. Before studying at the University of Minnesota, he studied at the International African University in Khartoum, Sudan and the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where he studied Educational Administration. He currently lives in St. Paul and has five children.