Zoya Haq (Class of 2023) details her journey through the Institute

PROFILE OF A SOCIAL IMPACT STUDENT

Zoya Haq (Class of 2023) was recently named an Ashoka Young Changemaker, and details her journey through Social Impact at Hockaday.

My first experience with the Institute for Social Impact was in Eighth Grade. As part of Eighth Grade Transition Day, a group of community-minded Upper Schoolers visited our class and discussed their experiences with Hockaday-based Social Impact. I remember feeling immediately inspired; these girls seemed to have accomplished so much, and I found myself counting down the days until I could start my own high school journey. That day, I made a mental note to try and incorporate the impact work I was doing outside of School into the Institute during my freshman year. My first week of high school, I did just that — I visited Ms. Day, talked to her about a project I was working on, and immediately felt the empowering embrace of the Hockaday Institute.

I developed a close relationship with the Institute my freshman year. That year, I worked closely with Ms. Day and her Dallasarea partners to scale a project that I was working on to sell and donate books, and the mentorship I received helped me to scale my project to multiple local area schools. The summer before my sophomore year, I attended a CloseUp program — one of the Institute’s partners — called IMPACT, where I got the chance to develop and scale my project, HiStory Retold. That winter, I participated in another CloseUp program where I worked with a team to address high recidivism rates in prisons. When I took U.S. Government (a Social Impact Designated Class) that spring, I took the lessons learned from my winter CloseUp program and worked on a research paper that explored the intersection between legislation and prison recidivism. As a part of my capstone project in the class, I reached out to local legislators to encourage the passing of “Ban the Box” laws in Texas.

That class has been my favorite Social Impact class so far. The intersection between government and social impact is one that intrigues me — legislation, after all, is integral to systemic transformation. In Government, we explored this intersection firsthand by taking action on policy issues that connected to our passions. I truly believe that this class imbued necessary and important skills into all students who took it — it showed them that, no matter how young you are, you can stand up for change. Through my work with the Institute, I’ve discovered the power of my voice to make concrete change. I came into high school as a shy kid. I had never been told that my ideas could make an impact. But through my work with the Institute and with Ms. Day, I was treated like an equal, like someone whose opinion had value. I connected with people in Dallas who could actually help me to transform my ideas into reality — and who didn’t see my age as a barrier to my potential. My work with the Institute helped me to build confidence not only in myself, but in what I put forth into the world: my work, my thoughts, and my actions.

My work has taught me how to think critically about social issues, how to delegate leadership, and how to deal with rejection. Scaling a project like HiStory Retold requires the support of external partners and national affiliates. Every week, I send about five blind emails to potential supporters. Maybe three lead to a conversation, and even fewer end up blossoming into a true partnership. I’ve learned that rejection is a necessary part of success. Re-evaluating the way that I view rejection has revolutionized the way that I approach my work.

Last summer, I stumbled across the Ashoka Young Changemakers program. Struck by how much I resonated with Ashoka’s values — creating a Changemaker world, valuing stories, and empowering communities — I decided to apply for the program in May of 2021. The selection process culminated in a panel interview this November, where I got the chance to discuss my change-making pitch with a wide range of pioneering changemakers on Ashoka’s senior staff. I was so excited to find out two weeks later that I had been selected as an Ashoka Young Changemaker.

I have the privilege of joining 10 other Americans in becoming a part of Ashoka’s global 2021 cohort. Over the course of the next few years and beyond, I will collaborate with Ashoka’s partner organizations, learn from young pioneers, scale my project both nationally and globally, and work to create an “Everyone a Changemaker” world. I cannot wait to embark on this journey, and I am so appreciative of the Hockaday Institute of Social Impact for helping me every step of the way.

“Through my work with the Institute, I’ve discovered the power of my voice to make concrete change.”