Meet Our Pen Pals
Hover over each student's picture to learn more about them
Pakistan
ERAJ
Eraj is fourteen and is in eighth grade. She enjoys playing soccer and dancing in her free time. She has five sisters and four brothers. Eraj's favorite color is sky blue and her favorite food is a fish sandwich. She loves living in Pakistan.
From Pakistan
SUMMIYA
Summiya is fifteen years old. She has four brothers and four sisters. She enjoys skipping and watching movies in her free time. She doesn't have time to play after school because she has to help her mother at home and do her homework. Her father is a shopkeeper and her favorite subject in school is math. She speaks Urdu and Pashto and is learning English. Her favorite food is mixed vegetable bhujia. If she were to change one part of her school, she would like to have more art classes. Even though she can't attend college because she is part of a tribal family, she is grateful to her school and the US for helping her receive an education.
NOUMAN
Nouman is fifteen years old and is the youngest of five brothers. His favorite sport is cricket and which he always plays on the weekend and he enjoys flying kites. His favorite food is chicken korma. His goal is to attend college and would like to become an army officer in the future. His favorite color is sky blue and his favorite part about his school is their garden which is used to teach them agriculture. If he were to change one thing in his school he would like to have a computer lab.
Exchange #2
Meet The Team
Caro Azevedo
President
Caro Azevedo is 16 and is a junior at Aspen High School. She began attending Power to Pakistan meetings since her freshmen year. Ever since she was little, she has always been dedicated to help those in nee as well as bond with those from different countries/cultures. As a Brazilian-American, she has seen many different things and has been involved in many different service projects throughout her life. She is also involved in different clubs at Aspen HIgh School, including Model United Nations, Shining Stars, and the Aspen Education Foundation. She also plays volleyball and tennis for Aspen High School.
Macy Hopkinson
Founder, President, & Board Director
Macy Hopkinson is 19 years old and a sophomore at the University at Notre Dame. She is earning a major in the Mendoza Business School and a second major in history. Macy also has an interest in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and private equity, and has pursued several opportunities on campus and during the summer to build upon these career interests. She graduated from Aspen High School in 2021 and founded Power to Pakistan during her freshman year in 2017. She knew that she wanted to make a difference in the world and felt that the best way to do that would be to start her own club focused on raising awareness and creating change. Macy became the Founder, President, and Board Director of Power to Pakistan in which she plans and runs the annual pen pal exchange, creates promotional videos, operates all social media accounts, develops club marketing strategies, designs and runs fundraisers, updates the website, keeps track of finances, and conducts Board meetings. In school, she is involved in many clubs such as Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Student Athlete Leadership Training (SALT), and Mu Alpha Theta (Mathematics Honor Society). She also serves as the President of National Honor Society and National Business Honor Society. Macy is also engaged in athletics; she has been on the varsity cross-country running, alpine skiing, and tennis teams since her freshman year.
Farida Ahmad
Advisor & Board Member
In addition to being a Power to Pakistan Advisor and Board Director, Farida is also the CEO of Moqah Foundation. Farida has over 30 years of experience in education, teacher training, curriculum development, evaluation, and administration. Previously, as Director Programs at Value Resources (Pvt.) Limited she led training programs for CEOs and community mobilizers. She has held senior management positions at Westminster School and College and The Capital School. Farida has set up and managed free schools, through which she has gained familiarity with the local development realities and developed methods for relevant, responsive, and successful projects. Farida has also been engaged with various initiatives focused on women’s empowerment, livelihoods, and skills development. She is a graduate of Lahore College of Women University, Farida is also a certified trainer from Oxford Seminars, USA.
Danielle Givens
Advisor & Board Member
In addition to serving as a Power to Pakistan Advisor and Board Director, Danielle is also the Executive Director of the Marshall Direct Fund. Danielle brings more than 12 years of experience in International Development to Marshall Direct Fund; including fieldwork in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. She began her international career in Peace Corps Romania as an Institution Development volunteer, assisting Caritas Petrosani and a national Gender and Development Committee. Most recently she was the International Program Director with the JC Flowers Foundation where she worked closely with implementing partners in malaria control and elimination on the borders of Angola/Namibia and Zambia/Zimbabwe. Danielle holds a Masters degree in International Development from the University of Denver and is the Power to Pakistan club advisor.
Siraj Khan
Advisor & Board Member
In addition to being a Power to Pakistan Advisor and Board Director, Siraj Khan also serves as the President of the Pakistan Association of Greater Boston (PAGB) and lives with his family in Hudson, Massachusetts. Siraj belongs to the world of finance, working for several multinationals. He has served in the global non-profit space on projects with USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Malala Fund and has been recognized for his work in women empowerment, youth development, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. He is a connoisseur of South Asian film music, using art and culture in building bridges between people and boundaries. He has staged and directed successful concerts of performing arts and is a featured contributor to several publications. Siraj has earlier served as the President for PAGB from 2002 - 2004.