Layan Ibrahim (MPP ’27) is serving as a Youth Engagement Intern with the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia under the guidance of HC Practitioner Fellow Nazia Ahmad as part of the Humanitarian Collaborative’s 2026 Summer Internship Cohort. The Centre promotes equitable solutions at the intersection of climate change and human health, recognizing that the health of people is inseparable from the health of the planet.

In her role, Layan supports youth engagement initiatives designed to empower young people to become active leaders in their communities. Her work has included developing educational materials and activities that promote emotional resilience and help young people navigate eco-anxiety while fostering hope and collective action. She has also contributed to efforts to strengthen partnerships with major youth organizations across Malaysia. Through this experience, Layan has had the opportunity to think creatively about how to engage diverse groups of young people, amplify their voices, and build meaningful opportunities for youth leadership in shaping a healthier and more sustainable future.

Before coming to UVA, Layan earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminal justice, with a minor in Arabic, from Radford University. Her personal and academic journey has been shaped by a deep desire to understand the systems that shape people’s lives and by an awareness that social institutions are not always designed to serve everyone equitably. She hopes to build a career focused on advancing public policy that improves community well-being and helps create systems that better serve all communities.