February Featured Committee Member: Dr. Sarah Elsadre

Raha Jafari, our Outreach and Program Manager, sat down with Dr. Sarah Elsadre, the Chair of the Women’s Leadership Committee.

Tell us a little about yourself: passions, family, education… What makes you tick?

I am a trained physician who has been working in the admin side of Mental Health for the past 17 years. Growing up as an avid reader, my favorite topic was always Psychology. The complexity of the human mind and the ability to control your life through your mind and thought process were fascinating ideas for me as a child. The love to help others and ease their pain paved my way to medicine, but psychology has always been my ultimate passion. Going through med school gives you a sense of pride. You feel like you “know it all,” and you can be the savior of humankind. That is never the case in mental health. Working in mental health will always be a journey rather than a destination. My purpose has always been to help others reach their safe harbor. For that, we have to sail together till we find it.

What inspired your decision to be part of Minaret Foundation?

We all have a role on this planet, and it is up to us to make the best out of our time and wisdom to fulfill that role. I was invited by a dear friend to a Minaret event. I was extremely impressed to hear about their mission, which aligns with my passion and stands out with a great focus on children’s mental health and welfare. As an interfaith organization bridging the gap between cultures and faiths in the community, Minaret’s actions speak highly of its devotion to a great cause. Their advocacy efforts made me immediately sign up to be on their volunteer list. I am honored to be able to represent such a mission on the first women’s leadership forum led by a group of amazing Muslim women.

How do you envision making a difference in your community?

I believe that we, as women, are an amazing source of power to our community, but to do so, we must first empower ourselves as women. This is our mission at the Women Leadership Forum. We bring young women together to listen, learn, and share ideas with community leaders so that we can inspire them to create their own leadership style and recognize their unlimited potential.