Hagir S. Elsheikh

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Hagir S. Elsheikh
Alma materHarrisburg Area Community College; Grand Canyon University
OccupationsEntrepreneur; human rights advocate; author; media host
Known forRefugee and women’s rights advocacy; autism support; community leadership in Pennsylvania
Websitehagirnetwork.com

Dr. Hagir S. Elsheikh is a Sudanese–American entrepreneur, human rights advocate, author and media host. She is chairwoman and CEO of the Hagir Network and founder of Tomorrow's Smile Inc., Kareem's Mission Autism Support Center, HSE Staffing Agency LLC and KMission TV LLC, among other community ventures in Central Pennsylvania.[1][2] Her advocacy on behalf of survivors, women's rights, refugees and families navigating autism has been covered by WITF, The Patriot-News/PennLive, TheBurg and regional television stations.[3][4]

In 2025 she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Central Penn College,[5] was named to City & State Pennsylvania's 40 in Their 40s list,[6] and was recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record for humanitarian service and community advocacy.[7] A Pennsylvania Senate citation honoring her community leadership was presented by Senator Patty Kim in June 2025.[8]

Early life and political activism

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Elsheikh was born in Sudan. From the age of eleven she opposed the government of Omar al-Bashir through student organizing and public protest. Arabic-language profiles in An-Nahar and Alrakoba report that she was arrested and tortured for her activism before seeking asylum in the United States.[9][10]

Education

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In Pennsylvania she studied nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), where she was later recognized as a Distinguished Alumna and joined the board of trustees.[11] She completed a B.S. in nursing at Grand Canyon University in 2012 and was inducted into the GCU Alumni Hall of Fame in 2019.[12]

Career and organizations

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Elsheikh founded or leads several community and media ventures in Central Pennsylvania:

  • HSE Staffing Agency LLC – a healthcare staffing firm covered in local business and community profiles.[13]
  • Tomorrow's Smile Inc. – a nonprofit organization providing survivor support and public education.[14]
  • Kareem's Mission – a nonprofit founded after her son's autism diagnosis to provide family resources, peer connection and education; profiled by WITF and FOX43, and earlier by CBS21.[15][16][17]
  • KMission TV LLC / Hagir Network – media platforms producing bilingual interviews and the community-affairs program The Hagir Show, carried by the Philadelphia community media network PhillyCAM.[18]

Media and public commentary

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Elsheikh hosts The Hagir Show and appears in regional and international media:

  • **WITF (NPR/PBS)** – interviews and features on Sudan, diaspora advocacy and autism (2022–2025).[19][20][21]
  • **ABC27 (Good Day PA)** – author spotlight for Dreamer in Chains (2023).[22]
  • **FOX43/CBS21** – coverage of Kareem's Mission nonprofit (2024–2025).[23][24]
  • **France 24 Arabic** – panel discussions on U.S. politics and Middle East affairs (2021, 2024).[25][26]

Speaking and advocacy

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Elsheikh speaks at universities and policy forums on human rights, diaspora leadership and civic participation:

  • *Women Transforming Societies: The Global Fight for Human Rights*, Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania (March 14, 2023).[27]
  • Forum 2000 (Prague, 2024) with the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg delegation; WITF coverage summarized the program and remarks.[28]
  • Global Policy Institute/Bay Atlantic University webinar, “Sudan: Internally Displaced People and Refugees” (July 9, 2024).[29]
  • African Human Rights Leaders Summit, Johns Hopkins SAIS (2022).[30]
  • Gender Week keynote, Clarke Forum, Dickinson College (March 7, 2024).[31]

Boards and community leadership

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Elsheikh serves as a trustee of Harrisburg Area Community College and on the board of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC). She is also a board member of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg (WACH).[32][33][34] She has participated in Church World Service Lancaster's New Neighbors Speakers Bureau and collaborated with the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) in programs presented by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.[35][36]

Honors and recognition

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  • Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Central Penn College (2025).[37]
  • City & State Pennsylvania – 40 in Their 40s (2025).[38]
  • Recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record for humanitarian service and community advocacy (July 16, 2025).[39]
  • Pennsylvania Senate Citation, presented by Senator Patty Kim and the Pennsylvania Senate (June 2025).[40]
  • Carolyne L. Smith Legacy Award, YWCA Harrisburg “Tribute to Women of Excellence” (2024).[41]
  • Women's History Garden Honoree, Civic Club of Harrisburg & WACH (2023).[42]
  • Woman of Influence, Central Penn Business Journal (2017).[43]
  • Recognized during the 2018 Year of the Woman by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[44]

Publications

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  • Through Tragedy and Triumph: A Life Well Traveled (2019). ISBN 978-1091595958.[45]
  • Dreamer in Chains: Poems of Exile and Resilience (2023). Featured on ABC27's Good Day PA author spotlight.[46]
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References

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  1. ^ Larrison, Ashlee (February 27, 2019). "GCU Hall of Famer survived and then thrived". GCU Today. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  2. ^ "Meet HACC's Board of Trustees – Hagir Elsheikh". Harrisburg Area Community College. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Davis, Joyce M. (August 2025). "A mother's love creates a haven for the autism community". PennLive. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  4. ^ Kalina-Metzger, Stephanie (September 29, 2017). "Never settled: Hagir Elsheikh may have finally found a home, but that doesn't mean she's stopped moving". TheBurg. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  5. ^ "Commencement Showcases the Literacy of Courage". Central Penn College. May 2, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  6. ^ "The 2025 City & State 40 In Their 40s". City & State PA. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  7. ^ "Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks (E677–E678)" (PDF). U.S. Congress. July 16, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  8. ^ "Hagir Elsheikh – Women of Influence". GlobeSt. Women of Influence. 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  9. ^ "هاجر التي ضربت بسياط النظام". An-Nahar (in Arabic). 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  10. ^ "قصة هاجر سيد أحمد". Alrakoba (in Arabic). 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  11. ^ "Meet HACC's Board of Trustees – Hagir Elsheikh". HACC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  12. ^ Larrison, Ashlee (February 27, 2019). "GCU Hall of Famer survived and then thrived". GCU Today. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  13. ^ "Meet Hagir: A Social Advocate and Business Leader". HACC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "New Neighbors Speakers Bureau". Church World Service Lancaster. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  15. ^ "How Kareem's Mission Is Transforming Autism Support in Central Pennsylvania". WITF. May 23, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  16. ^ "Kareem's Mission of Inclusion". FOX43. May 26, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  17. ^ "New Central PA nonprofit looking to help families navigate an autism diagnosis". CBS21. April 26, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  18. ^ "The Hagir Show". PhillyCAM. December 29, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  19. ^ "Crisis in Sudan grows". WITF. January 4, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  20. ^ "Sudan native living in Central Pennsylvania talks about conflict in her home country". WITF. May 5, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  21. ^ "How Kareem's Mission Is Transforming Autism Support in Central Pennsylvania". WITF. May 23, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  22. ^ "Author Spotlight: Dreamer in Chains by Hagir Elsheikh". ABC27. 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  23. ^ "Kareem's Mission of Inclusion". FOX43. May 26, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  24. ^ "New Central PA nonprofit looking to help families navigate an autism diagnosis". CBS21. April 26, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  25. ^ "محاكمة ترامب: أي مستقبل سياسي للحزب الجمهوري؟". France 24 Arabic. February 9, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  26. ^ "الانتخابات الرئاسية الأمريكية 2024…". France 24 Arabic. February 3, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  27. ^ "Women Transforming Societies: The Global Fight for Human Rights". UPenn Perry World House. March 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  28. ^ "World Affairs Council of Harrisburg attends Prague Forum 2000". WITF. November 19, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  29. ^ "WEBINAR // Case Study: Sudan – Internally Displaced People and Refugees". Global Policy Institute. July 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  30. ^ "African Human Rights Leaders Summit". POMED. December 12, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  31. ^ "Breaking Barriers: A Journey of Empowering Women through Self-Discovery, Equality, and Resilience". Dickinson College. March 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  32. ^ "Meet HACC's Board of Trustees – Hagir Elsheikh". HACC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  33. ^ "Hagir Elsheikh – Board profile". TFEC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  34. ^ "Meet Our Board". World Affairs Council of Harrisburg. June 3, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  35. ^ "New Neighbors Speakers Bureau". Church World Service Lancaster. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  36. ^ "Finding where the sky meets the sand with TASSC board member Hagir Elsheikh". The Phillips Collection – Blog. July 7, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  37. ^ "Commencement Showcases the Literacy of Courage". Central Penn College. May 2, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  38. ^ "The 2025 City & State 40 In Their 40s". City & State PA. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  39. ^ "Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks (E677–E678)" (PDF). U.S. Congress. July 16, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  40. ^ "Hagir Elsheikh – Women of Influence". GlobeSt. Women of Influence. 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  41. ^ "YWCA to Honor Women of Excellence". TownLively. March 20, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  42. ^ "Women's History Garden Induction Celebration". Civic Club of Harrisburg. February 15, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  43. ^ "2017 Women of Influence". Central Penn Business Journal. April 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  44. ^ "Pennsylvania House Resolution 1091 (2018)". Pennsylvania General Assembly. June 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  45. ^ Elsheikh, Hagir (2019). Through Tragedy and Triumph: A Life Well Traveled. Independently published. ISBN 9781091595958.
  46. ^ "Author Spotlight: Dreamer in Chains". ABC27. 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2025.