Khalifa joined the Roots & Shoots in 2007. But her involvement began much earlier when she was inspired by a video shown in a school classroom of Dr. Jane Goodall doing research in Tanzania. “I think it was the third grade,” she says. “I was like, 'Wow, I want to be like her. '”
That drive led her to participate in Roots & Shoots and several other youth programs. As a member of the Roots & Shoots in high school, she was involved in many service projects, to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment. She travelled to national youth summits, to gatherings with other students from around the world, and to Tanzania where she met youth leaders there and saw Jane's work in Gombe.
Reflecting on the many Root & Shoots projects she was involved in, Khalifa says a favorite was called Peace Through Art. During the Iraq War, she and her peers made and collected art from students in the United States and sent them to Iraqis. The project tapped into both her passion for expression through art and her commitment to helping others. “Art is very special,” she says, “in that art is kind of a universal language. You don't have to really speak the same language as someone to get a message across.”
She hopes to be an inspiration to women, to people of color, and to others who “have that little seed”-who want to ask questions, seek answers, have an impact on their communities. “So people pull you up, right, but the idea is that you should pull someone up too,” she says.
“The mountain top, for me at least,” she says, “is making a positive impact in my community, knowing that I helped change not only my life but other people's lives.” She hopes that her story will motivate others. Ultimately, she says, “I want to do the same for others that Jane has done for me. That's the long-term goal.”
