By Sian Wilkerson

“I’ve known since seventh grade that I wanted to live a life of public service,” said Abubaker, who received her Master of Public Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in 2013. “It sounds super cheesy, and I acknowledge that, but I knew that was my path.”

Driven by a childhood steeped in activism and engagement, Abubaker, who grew up in Henrico County, has always balanced professional life with volunteering and community work, including as president of the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association.

“I was 25 when I first joined WHNA, [but] these older residents came to me seeking new ideas, and felt a sense of trust in me to help them,” she said. “To feel that immediate gratification in fixing something and knowing that my neighbors are a little bit safer because I did that – what a feeling to have.”

That feeling helped inspire Abubaker to run for City Council, and in January, she was sworn in as 4th District representative. VCU News caught up with her to talk about her journey.

Had you always envisioned yourself in politics?

I never thought I was going to be the politician, but the more I worked behind the scenes, the more I realized that I could be impactful in the front.

Through growth and confidence, age and less concern about other’s perceptions of me, I was brave enough to see that running for office was the right thing to do.

My path was not linear. It was really circuitous, and I didn’t know necessarily what I wanted to do, per se. It was just foundationally who I was as a person.

Where did your passion for serving your community come from?

My parents were both very politically engaged, so it was something that I grew up around. My parents come from really, really different backgrounds. My dad is from Libya, in North Africa, and he came to America in search of better prospects and education, and I think really fell in love with the country and democracy. He didn’t get to vote until he became a citizen when he was 40, so he never took that for granted.

And then my mom came from western Pennsylvania and was the daughter of a steel welder and game warden who were very conservative, old-school people from just outside of Pittsburgh. [But my mom was] this feminist hellion who revolted against everything, and from a very early age, she taught me the value of independence in all its forms: independence of thought, independence of wealth, independence with your own education, your own body.

They came together in their shared love of democracy and civic engagement, and seeing that from a very early age, it’s just an innate trait of who I am because of my parents.

What’s one of your big takeaways from your first months in office?

I thought I knew a lot about government, having been in and around it for half of my life, but the coolest thing about this job is that I’m constantly learning new things. There’s no way to master this role, and for somebody who loves learning, that’s an awesome thing to get to do.

I vividly remember my dad telling me that in his job, he’s constantly learning and evolving and that’s why he continues to work the way he does, even into his 70s. I’d never found that [feeling] until this, and now I’m like, ‘This is why people stay and do this forever.’ Because you never stop learning.

For example, I didn’t realize how complex it was to pave a road. Stuff that we take for granted every day. And that’s what makes local government one of the most interesting places to be in office and to work.

And I would encourage people to work in local government, because local government is the thing that touches people’s lives every single day. There’s really no other level of government that has such an immediate impact on the day-to-day lives of our citizens.

How did VCU prepare you for your current path?

I loved my time in the Wilder School. A lot of my professors were adjuncts, so they were working in the fields of study. In addition to the professors, a lot of the people in my program were working professionals, like me. So you get the added bonus of networking and getting to meet people in the field and learn from colleagues. That was very distinguishing factor for VCU over any other schools I went to.

Any advice for students considering a path like yours?

For students who are interested in going into public policy or elected office, start early and take opportunities whenever you can. I genuinely believe that everybody in the world should have to work in a restaurant and work on a campaign, because those two things teach you what hard work is, what humility is, give you empathy for others. When you work on a political campaign, there’s no stopping. It’s a total grind.

My experience working on a campaign for somebody else also made me a better candidate, a better boss and a person for this role [as council member]. I know as a staffer what made me feel good and what didn’t make me feel good, and getting that experience early on is super valuable.

If you had to choose an “un-” word to describe yourself, what would it be and why?

I keep going back to “uncomfortable,” because I think it’s important to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. A lot of running for office is just one giant, uncomfortable situation. There’s no deeper discomfort than being an introvert and knocking on strangers’ doors. But that’s how you grow.