Harun Khan is passionate about helping people adapt to a changing world, whether that be cultural changes due to immigration to a new country, or technology changes because of the advent of artificial intelligence.

As a son of immigrants from Pakistan, Harun Khan is keenly aware of the challenges that come with adjusting to life in the United States. In response, he has helped children of recent immigrants learn English, tutoring three children ages 12, 9, and 8.

Another interest of Harun’s is using technology to help people achieve their goals, as well as helping benefit humanity as a whole. Through the use of artificial intelligence, he is currently developing a web-based application that helps people prevent food waste in their homes by donating soon-to-expire food to local food banks. A preliminary version of the application was awarded third place at the Congressional App Challenge.

Harun also serves as the media manager for Woodson’s Environmental Club. In the past year, 30-40 members of the club have worked alongside master gardeners to grow, harvest, and donate close to 1,000 pounds of produce to Food for Others, a local food bank.

Having a growing Muslim faith is something that is important to Harun and he often refers other Muslims to his local mosque, MakeSpace. The mosque has been helpful to his own faith development and hopes that others will also be able to strengthen their faith at a pace that is comfortable to them.

Summing up his commitment to serving others, Harun says, “I work to use my knowledge, faith and culture to intertwine my interests to serve my community. I’m always interested in reaching out to my classmates, underclassmen, and community members to provide help in some way.”

Harun also sees his helping others as being a peacemaker. “When people think of peace, they often think of the aftermath of war. While this is true, peace has a broader meaning in that it comes when people are able to live with less stress in their lives due to having their needs being met,” he said.