Oak Park and River Forest High School’s first-ever Arab-American Professionals Day offered students the opportunity to connect with members of their community.

Freshman Akram Elshareif, who attended the April 22 event, described it as “helpful,” saying, “I related to the professionals…there was some stuff that I’ve also been through that they’ve been through as well.”

The event took place in the auditorium during 2nd and 3rd periods. During 3rd period, students intently listened and asked questions at four stations around the room, each staffed by several Arab-American professionals representing fields such as medicine, law, technology, education, architecture and more.  

Approximately 150 students attended, including five full classes, according to Ty Garland, OPRF’s community outreach coordinator, who helped put together the event. “I was really so happy that so many teachers…brought their whole entire class,” he said. Showcasing success in minority communities is important for students to see, he added.

Between stations, students were seen lingering an extra few moments to introduce themselves and network. Nedaa Alwawi, chief of staff for State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democrat from the 21st District, left OPRF students of color with this piece of advice: “You will get doors slammed on you before they even see how you look. They just know it by your name. At the same time, we have to work twice as hard.” Alwawi, who is also a former educator, encouraged students to know their worth and never to compromise.

 Each year, the Office of Equity and Student Success looks to incorporate new events to support underrepresented groups in the OPRF community. Past events have also included Black Professionals Day and Hispanic/Latinx Professionals Day. In the 2025-2026 school year, OPRF will host its first Jewish-American Professionals Day.