Who is Omar Aftab?

Having a birthday on Christmas is not the only thing that makes Omar Aftab stand out. The 20 year old college student studies both communications and anthropology at the University of North Florida, and has hopes of getting a master’s degree in a field such as political science. But what are his career plans with these seemingly random majors? Omar has his eyes set on a future in diplomacy. After taking an intro anthropology class, he realized his interest in humans, but more importantly human peace. Although he suspects as a diplomat he would be sent to Pakistan because of his heritage, Omar wants to be involved with other countries in the Middle East as well.

Omar feels connected to both his heritage, and more recently, his religion. Although he was born in America, his father immigrated from Pakistan after receiving his degree in medicine. Most of his extended family still lives in Pakistan, and he has traveled to the area many times to visit. Omar speaks three languages fluently - English, Urdu, and Punjabi. He decided as a teen to try to be fluent in Urdu and Punjabi after hearing each language his entire childhood. As a Muslim, Omar attends a local mosque in Jacksonville, but recently began volunteering there as well. Although his duties usually include cleaning and maintenance, he feels satisfaction from helping out his community in that way. Omar thinks of himself as a practicing Muslim, and his religion is an important aspect in his daily life. Another important part of Omar’s life is music. As a teen, he used to make beats on the computer, but has more recently been interested in guitar. He taught himself how to play after being inspired by a math rock band called Covet, and has hopes to release an album a bit later on in life

Omar’s life has brought him several possibilities for his future, but his dream job is to bring peace to countries as a diplomat. But if that doesn’t work out, he always has music to fall back on.

Written by Samantha Fitzgerald

March 19, 2021