Erum Hanif

Erum Hanif is a member of Community Board 13 and CEO of Apna Brooklyn Community Center, a not-for-profit social service organization with locations in Brighton Beach and Bath Beach. Apna was founded by Pervez Siddiqui, a local pharmacist and Community Board 13 member, and is primarily led by Pakistani immigrants. The organization serves immigrants from Pakistan, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and other countries.  Hanif was a lawyer and a business management professional in Pakistan before immigrating with her family to Southern Brooklyn eight years ago. She talks about Apna's programming, Pakistani cultural and religious traditions, and her work for Community Board 13. 

Hanif pays tribute to her mother, who worked for 40 years in Pakistan's male-dominated education department and was a pioneer in expanding education for girls and women.  "I strongly believe that whatever I am today capable of doing in my life, personal and professional, is because of her spirit," says Hanif who notes that she is the first one in her family to graduate from business school and law school, and the first to immigrate to the U.S.