Student Entrepreneur Praises Opportunities to Push Initiative for Positive Global Change  

Tahirah Abdul-Qadir comes from a legacy of Syracuse University graduates. Leading by example, juggling well-rounded success in elite sports, activism, business, and academics, her father, Dr. El-Java Abdul-Qadir, Ph.D., has been her biggest inspiration to create positive global change.  

As an award-winning social justice advocate and member of the World Association of Kickboxing Organization for the USA, one of Abdul-Qadir’s most impressive achievements is her project, Fight Like a Girl. This initiative, born from a desire to reclaim and redefine a phrase often used pejoratively, has become a beacon of empowerment for young girls.    

FLAG Empowerment LLC (Fight Like a Girl) aims to empower women physically, mentally and emotionally through a mix of leadership development, self-growth, and kickboxing/ self-defense programs and workshops.  

“I can’t emphasize enough how helpful the Whitman Career Center and the Blackstone Launchpad have been with creating and growing Fight Like a Girl and helping me develop as a business leader,” says Abdul-Qadir, who is an entrepreneur major.     

“I always knew Fight Like a Girl could make it far,” she adds. Looking ahead, Abdul-Qadir envisions taking her initiative to national prominence, leveraging the Whitman network to collaborate with fellow alumni and expand her reach.    

Abdul-Qadir is also a youth advisor for the United Nations Girl Up Campaign. This initiative seeks to change the face of leadership for generations to come, expanding girls’ rights, skills and opportunities. This summer, Abdul-Qadir traveled to Los Angeles to host the 2024 Girl Up Leadership Summit.   

Other opportunities have benefited her interests, as well. Abdul-Qadir recently had the chance to learn about business on a global scale through Whitman’s East Asia immersion trip.  

"The immersion trip to Japan and Korea taught me about business strategies and how to adapt as a global business leader," explains Abdul-Qadir, who has also participated in other immersion trips to Philadelphia and New York City.   

 By Bo BenYehuda