Nadia Qureshi Email & Phone Number

A heart full of compassion, a home full of animals, and a head full of ideas (and maybe a touch of chaos): that's me! I'm passionate about the planet, people, and meaningful work that seeks to make a difference. I spent my formative professional years in Parks and Recreation; from ages 14-17 I volunteered with my local Nature Center as a CIT (Counselor in Training), cleaned the animal lab, and helped with special events/programs. From 18-21, I was on their payroll as a Camp Counselor during the summer, and working in the animal lab at the Nature Center in the Fall. I loved taking care of the native ambassador species at the Nature Center, and teaching eager, young minds about ecology and environmental stewardship through guided activities and wildlife interpretation. Due to this opportunity, I was exposed to influential people that I still look up to at an early age; I was able to develop a professional skillset by the time I was in High School; and I was able to make lifelong connections that made great references when I was a job seeker. My current capacity is in Youth Workforce Development, where I get to explore one of my greatest passions and lead young people to the same opportunities I had as an aspiring young adult. I have the great pleasure of connecting Kansas talent to Kansas opportunities to develop and retain our future workforce. I love having the opportunity to flex my creative muscles in this role by developing content, workshop materials, and generating new ideas to help develop our young professionals. In collaboration with the Business Services team, I'm also able to assist in brokering connections between schools and local business for activities such as work experience, job shadowing, volunteering, and internships. I don't just help kids find jobs; I get to help them explore their career interests and identify a professional passion that will lend them to having happy, sustainable futures. “You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”- Clay P. Bedford