Letter from the President

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

My name is Ava Rezaie and I have the honor of serving you as the 2010-2011 Muslim Students' Association President. On behalf of the executive board, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new members of William and Mary, class of 2014 and transfers alike! We are excited to meet so many of the future path-paving students who will become a part of making our MSA one of the best organizations on campus. Furthermore, we are also looking forward to seeing the familiar faces who have been integral in the last few years in making the MSA welcoming, prestigious, and matchless.

As first generation Muslims many of us struggle with reconciling our religious, ethnic, and national identities. During our college years, we negotiate the fusion of these three to form our present selves, making it crucial that we find a strong community in which to ground ourselves. At the College, that community is the Muslim Students' Association. Every day, we work to serve your needs from organizing lectures and social events to making sure that you can feel at home and are enjoying the beauty of our campus!

And this year is no less important for the MSA-not only have we been planning many new events for the upcoming semesters, but we have also been working to establish our vision for the future. A few of the many goals that we have set for this year include increasing university-sponsored Islamic education events, creating sustainable ties with local service organizations, and of course establishing ties with one another. We invite you to take a few minutes to read through a more detailed outline of our current and future goals on our website, facebook group, or contact us through our list serve email: muslim@wm.edu

However, none of these plans are viable without your support; we cannot stress enough the importance of involvement from our constituents. This fall we will kick the year off in Ramadan, a great time to come together as a community to strengthen our faith and involvement. So as begin, we urge you to make time to join your fellow brothers and sisters-Muslims and non-Muslims-not only to break your fast, but to build bonds that will last a lifetime.

Oh, and be sure to check out our MSA Handbook :)