Member
Zainab Syeda joined the South Asian Network team in the Spring of 2019 as the organization’s Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator. She is committed to serving marginalized communities, and seeks to uplift those around her – hoping to dismantle and overcome structural inequalities that often keep communities from progressing. Zainab earned her Bachelors of Arts in International Studies, with a focus in South Asia from the California State University, Long Beach. Prior to joining SAN, Zainab had returned from a fellowship at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, where she studied the Urdu language. She believes that language access is an integral piece to bridging services and resources to low income and immigrant communities.
Currently, Zainab serves as the Removal Defense Project Coordinator at the Public Law Center in Orange County, CA. She remains committed to serving and uplifting the voices of immigrant communities. During her time at SAN, she worked closely with her colleagues, volunteers and community partners to bring SAN’s services to a diverse population of South Asians. She was able to successfully execute multiple vaccination clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the community felt confident and safe while getting vaccinated and building a healthier community. Additionally, Zainab spent her time at SAN doing outreach for the 2020 Census as well as executed GOTV efforts during the 2020 election, with the hope that the South Asian community was counted and represented in the 2020 Census and that the South Asian voice was heard and seen in the 2020 election. Finally, Zainab served as the Interim Executive Director at SAN prior to her departure in August 2021.
