Gaithersburg Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month

The City celebrates and honors Arab American Heritage Month in April with programs and a proclamation highlighting the culture, heritage, and achievements of our Arab American neighbors. An official proclamation designating April 2023 as “Arab American Heritage Month” in the City of Gaithersburg will be presented at the Mayor and City Council meeting on Monday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the meeting at City Hall, watch it live on YouTube or watch it via Zoom by registering here.

Mayor Jud Ashman will present the proclamation to Dr. Shaza M. Ahmed, M.D., a paraeducator with Montgomery County Public Schools who works with children with special needs. Having an autistic child of her own motivated Dr. Ahmed to be more involved and become an advocate for her own child and all students, and their parents, who learn differently. She manages weekly educational sessions for parents on bullying, safety, understanding the system, available resources, and how to be an advocate for themselves and their children.

Dr. Ahmed is actively involved in her children’s school PTAs and volunteers as an administrator for a weekend school. During the pandemic, she volunteered with food distribution and delivering. Dr. Ahmed was born in Sudan and immigrated to the United States in 2004. She lives in the greater Gaithersburg area with her husband and four children.