• FENCER
• Enjoyed different sports as a child, but encountered challenges when reconciling typical athletic wear with her religious practice of observing hijab, sometimes altering uniforms to make them more modest
• Earned a fencing scholarship to Duke University, double-majoring in African American studies and international relations
• Joined the National Fencing Team, and at the Rio Games became the FIRST American athlete to observe hijab during an Olympic event
• Earned a bronze medal, making her the FIRST female Muslim-American Olympic medal winner
• Also a clothing designer, her company Louella produces fashionable modest clothes
• Served as the model for the FIRST Barbie to wear a hijab
• Supporter of UNICEF, traveling around the world to help highlight vulnerable populations, particularly refugees, children, and women
• Also worked with the American Relief Agency in Horn of Africa and Kids Play International to build water wells in East Africa

Photo by Jay Godwin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Imani, Blair. Modern Herstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2018. Print.
Buechner, Maryanne. (2019, February 20). Ibtihaj Muhammad Has A Calling. https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/ibtihaj-muhammad-has-calling/35521

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