Hanifa Darwish is an education policy professional whose work centers on equity, access, and belonging for multilingual, immigrant, and refugee learners. She currently serves as Program Manager at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) in Washington, D.C., where she supports programs and partnerships that connect research and policy with real-world impact—bringing Princeton’s community into dialogue with policymakers and practitioners in the capital.

Before joining Princeton, Hanifa worked with the University of Pennsylvania’s Consortium for Policy Research in Education and the Penn Early Childhood & Family Research Center, contributing to projects on culturally responsive teaching and early childhood equity. She also supported education programs for refugees with Relief International and now conducts research at Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, focusing on workplace inclusion, organizational culture, and equitable practices for employees with disabilities in healthcare settings. Hanifa is also an Education Pioneers Impact Fellow, advancing evidence-based approaches to equity and access in education systems.

In 2019, Hanifa built Baale Parwaz Children’s Library in Kabul and founded the Bood Nabood Initiative, an online library of narrated stories that provides access to culturally relevant learning materials for Afghan women and children.

Hanifa holds a Master of Science in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Sociology from Trinity College. Her work lies at the intersection of education policy, migration, and organizational culture, with a focus on designing systems that foster belonging and opportunity for displaced and multilingual learners.