'Pathways' opens doors for disadvantaged city youths
As San Francisco bade farewell to Barry
Bonds last Wednesday, about 30 “at-risk” city youths said hello to
Giants management, learned about the baseball business and picked up
tips on how to kick-start a career.
SF State alumnus, Shakeel Ali made this opportunity possible through Pathways For Kids (PFK), a San Francisco based non-profit organization founded in 1998 to inspire academic achievement and career awareness in disadvantaged youth.
Ali, 37, became the full-time program director for PFK in the summer of 2006 and began connecting economically disadvantaged youth with volunteer mentors or coaches, who have achieved success in a wide variety of businesses and professions.
“I always had an intent to bridge the gap between students and the community,” said Ali, who graduated from SF State with a Bachelor’s in liberal studies, social sciences & ethnic studies in 2004.
Ali has been involved in activism since he was 19, working in local schools while attending college. After taking classes at City College for two years, he enrolled at SF State in 2002. During his years at the university, he was the Moorish sports club president and a member of the Black Student Union and School of African Philosophy.