“Peace, to me, means creating spaces where everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered to grow,” explains Anwar Kiyar. That philosophy guided Anwar throughout the summer of 2025, when he independently created, promoted, and led a two-week Scratch computer programming course offered free of charge to children ages 9–12 at his mosque.
His 15 students were from diverse cultural backgrounds and participated in group and independent activities. With Anwar’s leadership and encouragement, each student programmed their own interactive game, which they proudly presented at the closing ceremony. Parents shared that their children, who were once quiet or anxious, had discovered excitement, confidence, and community through participation in Anwar’s class.
Dr. Tugba Kucukkal, a professor at Gallaudet University and parent of one participant, noted, “Anwar didn’t just teach coding – he modeled peace. Through inclusive collaboration, thoughtful communication with parents, and a commitment to every child’s success, he created a space where respect, kindness, and learning thrived. His quiet leadership reminds us that peace often begins with small acts of care, consistency, and community.”
At the end of the summer program, Dr. Kucukkal invited Anwar to initiate a weekly math club for elementary age children. Anwar designed a curriculum that focused on logic puzzles, problem solving, math skills, and teamwork activities, all designed to develop proficiency in and love of math while also preparing the students for the Math Olympiads.
As the program progressed, Anwar observed that peer-to-peer learning was having just as much of an influence as direct instruction. In response, he introduced collaborative incentives that strengthened teamwork, deepened understanding, and reinforced a sense of community. The math club is structured with one hour of academics followed by one hour of time to play, a balance that parents have found meaningful, particularly for homeschooled students, for whom the club provides an opportunity for social connection alongside learning.
At TJHSST, Anwar continues to foster peace as co-president of the TJ Send-A-Smile club, as they plan and accomplish projects each month that promote kindness. In March 2025, he helped coordinate a school supply drive, collecting more than one hundred items which were donated to Weyanoke Elementary School students. He led Send-A-Smile’s September campaign of crafting uplifting cards that were delivered to hospitalized children and worked with the TJ’s Rotary Club in their effort to make bracelets for cancer patients. During National Bullying Prevention Month in October, Anwar spearheaded the group’s schoolwide anti-bullying initiative through videos, a kindness chain, and a Unity-Day event. Each link of the paper kindness chain consisted of a handwritten message of positive reassurance.
As Anwar says, “I strive to extend peace into my community through education, empathy, and collaboration, because peace isn’t just the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of understanding each other and then acting on it.”