About me
As a child of an immigrant family in the United States, Mustafa Sharif understands firsthand the struggles and overwhelming frustration associated with pursuing higher education in a new country, navigating a novel educational system with little to no parental guidance, and actively seeking support from experienced community professionals to successfully acclimate to life in a new state. He attended Willow Creek Middle School in 2000-2002 and graduated Mayo High School in 2006 (as member of honor society). Mr. Sharif’s personal life story motivated him to attain an undergraduate education and training at the Winona State University. In 2012, Mr. Sharif earned a double major in public administration and political science. Mr. Sharif’s major expertise is in education, especially in educating and supporting underrepresented and underserved students in the Rochester, MN community. For 20 years, Mr. Sharif has taught over 500 students how to build their professional resume, how to gain workforce and educational skills to successfully compete in traditionally competitive and high-demand careers, how to pursue community volunteer experiences, and how to network with local professionals so that they can land their dream job and succeed as leaders in their respective career fields. In these 20 years, Mr. Sharif put into action the principles he learned from Rochester Pubic Schools Education system , Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Training, his undergraduate education. He emphasized to his students the importance of adopting a growth mindset and staying true to their authentic selves while climbing the career ladder. Through his work in education and community service, Mr. Sharif has helped many first-generation students realize their higher education goals in diverse career fields including (but not limited to) medicine, biomedical research, business, and literature while celebrating and taking pride in their unique cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Mr. Sharif has decades of experience in implementing evidence-based approaches to education and providing culturally-sensitive academic curricula. He is actively involved in developing new, integrative instructional models in afterschool program settings to better cater to and address the needs of underrepresented and underserved students and their families. Currently, Mr. Sharif focuses on managing and directing community based afterschool program called the Rochester International Youth Organization (RIYO) whose mission is to eliminate inequity in education and educational disparities by empowering the next generation of Student Leaders, learners and productive citizens. RIYO is a proud community partner with Rochester Public Schools-Community Education. Mr. Sharif’s work with RIYO and the greater Rochester community is focused on the development, empowerment, investment, and education of the potential of underrepresented and underserved students and families in Rochester, MN. Mr. Sharif is extremely passionate about education, community service, and community development.
