Shrewsbury educator Noor Ali aims to be a spot of warm sunlight for others

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Shrewsbury educator Noor Ali aims to be a spot of warm sunlight for others
Photo/Courtesy of Noor Ali
Noor Ali is currently principal at Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury.

By Peg Lopata, Contributing writer

SHREWSBURY – For 41, Noor Ali has accomplished a lot — and she’s bound to do even more. Her guiding philosophy of life won’t allow her to take easy street.

“I am always pushing my boundaries to ask, what more, and what else can be done?” she said.  “I’d like to be as my dad was to me, a spot of warm sunlight in a life.”

Background

A resident of Shrewsbury for nine years, Ali is originally from Lahore, Pakistan. She came to the U.S. to study. Ali has three children, ages 18, 15 and 2, a doctorate in education from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in English literature. She has 16 years of experience as a teacher and is currently principal at Al-Hamra Academy, an Islamic private day school for students of preschool age through middle school in Shrewsbury. 

But Ali is not just a scholar and an educator. She enjoys nature, taking photographs, reading, yoga, gardening and writing.

“I also enjoy just sitting on the couch and having tea,” said Ali. “I like watching cooking shows with absolutely no desire to try out the recipes.”

About inclusion and more

Ali cares deeply about inclusion. She has a master’s degree in inclusion education, has given much thought on the effects of Islamaphobia on young people, and is part of Shrewsbury’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce.

“I greatly appreciate the mindful work Shrewsbury is embarking on as a town towards diversity, equity and inclusion,” she said.

Many know about her work on behalf of education and social justice, especially the experiences of marginalized students, but there are other causes Ali also cares about.

“I am passionate about supporting the work at the infant critical care unit at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester,” she said.

Ali spent a lot of time at UMass as her daughter, born two months early, was a patient there. Meanwhile, the experiences of her son made her an advocate for those with dyslexia. She’s also involved in local efforts against hunger.

Ali, the educator

Ali never thought she’d become a teacher or principal — her undergraduate studies were in literature and world history.  

Now, in addition to being a principal, she teaches graduate level courses in research and education at Arizona State University and Worcester State University. But she’s still a literature lover and prolific writer. Some of her new releases for this year include a book, “Critical Storytelling: Counter-Narratives of Muslim American Females” and a chapter inspired by her experience of giving birth to three children in three different countries, Pakistan, the U.S. and Malaysia.   

Achievements aside, above all, Ali strives to be caring. 

“Empathy is over everything else, always,” she said. 

For Ali, when we’re empathetic, that’s when that spot of sunlight shines warmest.

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