The Office of New Student and Leadership Programs has organized the 4th Annual Rising Tide Leadership Summit which will be over the course of three days virtually. On our last night of RTLS, we are honored to host Ibtihaj Muhammad as our keynote.

Ibtihaj Muhammad is an entrepreneur, activist, speaker and Olympic medalist in fencing. A 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, 5-time Senior World medalist and World Champion, in 2016, Ibtihaj became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab. Ibtihaj was a 3-time All American at Duke University where she graduated with a dual major in International Relations and African Studies. In 2014, Ibtihaj launched her own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest, fashionable and affordable clothing to the United States market. 

In 2017, Mattel announced their first hijabi Barbie, modeled in Ibtihaj’s likeness, as part of Barbie’s “Shero” line of dolls. The Barbie became available for purchase in July 2018. Ibtihaj released her debut memoir in July 2018, PROUD: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream. Ibtihaj’s third book, New York Times’ Bestseller children’s picture book, The Proudest Blue, released September 2019 with glowing reviews. 

Ibtihaj is a sports ambassador with the U.S. Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls through Sport Initiative, and works closely with organizations like Athletes for Impact and the Special Olympics. Named to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential list, Ibtihaj is an important figure in a larger global discussion on equality and the importance of sport. Her voice continues to unite both the sports and non-sports world.

This three-day leadership conference is designed for emerging and current student leaders and will feature sessions on a wide variety of topics related to the Tulane University’s Leadership Framework. This year's theme is resilience, and we are excited to be able to come together with students from the wider community to explore this important topic. The Summit will provide Tulane students with the opportunity to learn from the vast expertise of our faculty, staff, alumni, and campus partners, to share their leadership experiences with each other, and to establish a network of support within the university.

The Summit is a great opportunity for organization executive board members and officers to attend to learn more about effective leadership. Please consider attending and encouraging other members to attend as well.