Mustafa Al-diraji Makes a Lasting Impact at West

Middle Eastern and North African Club (MENA) has grown and completely transformed over the past year. Senior and co-president of MENA, Mustafa Al-diraji, prides himself in building up the club’s popularity through great diversity.

Despite being an active member of the school community, Al-diraji has had to sacrifice participation in multiple other clubs to focus all his attention on improving MENA because he was ashamed of its lack of recognition.

As the only member of the club at the beginning of the year, Al-diraji takes a lot of responsibility when it comes to spreading MENA pride at West and developing it into what it is today. Al-diraji joined the club during his junior year when it was still under the name of  “Middle Eastern Club.”

Similar to many other activities, the club had died down due to the pandemic, but it has come a long way since then. “There wasn’t much going on in the club last year and they didn’t have anyone else who could take over the club, so I took on the initiative. Part of building up the club was also increasing diversity and inclusivity. [T]hat’s why we now go under [the name] MENA because there are a lot of people with similar identities but from a different region, so it’s not fair to exclude them or give them a title they don’t really associate with,” Al-diraji said.

This year, MENA has also taken initiatives that go far beyond just club activities and include district activities. One of Al-diraji’s main priorities was to push for more engaging meetings so that the club members could express themselves in a variety of ways other than just discussing important issues. Al-diraji pushed for interactive activities that included food, as it’s a huge part of the culture. His goal since day one was to collaborate with the cooking classes at West and incorporate hands-on cooking activities, which could then potentially branch out into more art-like activities and cultural expressions.

“Unfortunately MENA regions are places of conflict so a lot of club meetings did usually include serious talks and seminar circles. Although these were necessary, they also bored people because they got repetitive. [T]he conflict in MENA has just been in our lives for the longest time,” Al-diraji said.

Currently, Al-diraji is working on a panel in which MENA community members will speak about their careers and experiences and how they have been successful in the professional world. Al-diraji also credits the Black Student Union (BSU) for inspiring them to host events such as a MENA breakfast.

“The beautiful relationship Black Student Union has with the MENA club is thanks to leaders like Mustafa, Ms. Hanna, and Ms. Madi. Mustafa is a president like no other, he leads with creativity, kindness, and humor. We’ve been bouncing ideas off one another throughout the year which has been apparent in the panels and fashion show. Mustafa and MENA leaders have also done a tremendous job at acknowledging the ways BSU has inspired their events while also addressing Anti-Black language in all of their spaces. I am grateful to know Mustafa and can’t wait to see how he leads on his new campus,” senior and BSU president Cherie Animashaun said.

Al-diraji considers the MENA summit, which was organized in partnership with Niles North and gained the participation of over 300 students, as his most significant achievement thus far. Al-diraji takes great pride in its success, especially because he had never envisioned doing anything outside the club. Most activities and events that he planned for the future were expected to take place within a small after-school group.

“It’s really nice seeing that people recognize MENA, people just can’t wait for the next summit which really excites me because it tells me that it had a long-lasting effect,” Al-diraji said.

Al-diraji’s club sponsor commends his efforts in planning a successful summit to celebrate the complexities and beauty that MENA represents.

“Mustafa has been a dynamic, trailblazing leader for MENA Club. His focus this year has been on revitalizing our club, expanding membership, and reaching more MENA students at Niles West. Much of our club’s growth this year—both in terms of numbers and impact—is owed to his leadership. He was committed to creating spaces where MENA students could feel seen and heard, and these efforts culminated with the first-ever MENA Student Summit which more than 300 students attended,” Lit Center Secretary  and MENA club co-sponsor Reine Hana said.

In addition to organizing exciting school events and planning future meetings, Al-diraji actively advocates for new initiatives during school board meetings, with the objective of creating enduring changes that will have an impact beyond his graduation from West.

Al-diraji advocates for adding an Arabic language course to the school curriculum and offering a separate MENA race category at District 219 schools. He hopes to build off the success of the Assyrian community, who have successfully advocated for the adoption of an Assyrian language course. He believes that the approval of and Arabic language course would bring benefits to different groups, even after the present members have graduated.  Al-diraji also emphasizes that it would be a step in the right direction, as Arabic is crucial for students who identify as MENA or Muslim. Secondly, he wants there to be a MENA checkbox, separate from the white category in order to disaggregate the data.

“Luckily D219 has one of the largest Middle Eastern, Assyrian populations in the whole Chicago area, and our experiences are far from white,” Al-diraji said.

While he acknowledges the club’s numerous achievements so far, he does not want its current success to be the peak. In order to keep MENA the talk of the halls, he is hoping for an outpour of creativity that will make it stand out and be worth people’s time.

Al-diraji has also been able to effortlessly maintain a balance between his involvement in MENA and other activities due to his self-motivated approach to work. Given his passion for MENA, he doesn’t mind giving it his all.

Additionally, he credits sponsors Ms. Hana and Niles West Dean Rana Madi for their outstanding leadership skills, and for helping him find balance.

“Mustafa has been such a pleasure to work with. He has consistently worked on supporting and advocating for the MENA community. He has also inspired many students to learn more about the MENA community. In planning events for MENA club, Mustafa embodied so many characteristics of a true leader. He was vocal, passionate and committed even when things felt difficult or hard. I am honored to have known Mustafa and to have worked closely with him. I know his leadership will not end at Niles West,” Madi said.

Apart from MENA, Al-diraji is passionate about his STEM Inquiry and Research course, which offers him the chance to work on his project with a mentor from Northwestern. By having the chance to gain laboratory experience during high school, Al-diraji plans to pursue bio-tech in college and spends most of his free time cherishing moments with his friends, knowing that that he may not see all of them once he leaves for college.

“Mustafa has a special way of bringing people in and making everyone feel included. He has consistently demonstrated leadership, professionalism, and more importantly, a love of creating experiences for others. He will be sorely missed, but his impact will be felt for a long time. I know he will go on to do amazing things,” Hana said.