Alumni Gazette

CLASS PHOTOS: Burki (far right with student) helped found the Al-Bayan School, which began with classes for kindergarten through second grade and now includes preschool through fifth grade. Burki continues to help manage the Lahore, Pakistan, school remotely. (Photo: Courtesy of Navera Burki)

As a senior at the highly regarded Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan in 2018, Navera Burki ’21S (MS) met a first-year student who shared Burki’s longtime entrepreneurial interest in launching a grade school for Pakistani children.

Together, Burki and fellow student Maryam Khawaja spent a year planning what would become the Al-Bayan School in Lahore.

They rallied donor support, found teachers, met certification requirements, and decided on a location—a two-bedroom apartment with a large lounge—in a low-income neighborhood.

They went door to door looking for families who wanted to send their children—from kindergarten to grade two—to the school. In 2019, they launched a one-year pilot program with 25 kids, a week after Burki’s undergraduate commencement.

In its fourth year, the school is thriving and serves more than 100 students up to grade five. Today, five women lead the school, and all of them volunteer their time.

And although Burki, who earned a master’s degree from the Simon Business School in 2021, works full time as a data analyst at the New York City headquarters of Barnes & Noble, she remains actively engaged in the school’s day-to-day operations—just as she was when she was a Simon student.

As she was beginning her career search, Burki found support from another Barnes & Noble alumnus, Elmer Salmo ’18S (MBA), and found a mentor in Jonathan Cohen ’90, a financial systems consultant in Boston. The two connected through The Meliora Collective, the University’s career networking program designed to bring together alumni, students, and other members of the University community.

“I’ve really just given Navera support and advice,” says Cohen. “She’s done the hard work of finding a job in the US that makes great use of her skills. Her drive is inspiring, as is her passion for helping young people in Pakistan.”

During the day, the self-described data storyteller works on the company’s digital and ecommerce initiatives like the website Bn.com and the electronic reading device, Nook.

In the evening, Burki logs on from her apartment to catch up on the success of the Pakistani students.

“Pakistan is 10 hours ahead of us, so I often come home from Barnes & Noble and then start my day with Al-Bayan,” she says.

Burki notes that about 60 percent of the Pakistani population is under 30 years old. Just a small percentage come from wealthy households—and, as a result, they have opportunities that the majority don’t.

“There’s a huge income inequality issue in Pakistan,” says Burki. Children from wealthier families have avenues to go into business or to start careers overseas, while less advantaged children often have to quit their schooling to support their families, she notes.

According to Burki, many members of earlier generations left Pakistan and never returned.

“My generation wants to change this—to make Pakistan strong and well educated. We want our country to thrive, and we want to take action to help it improve. That’s why we have this school—to make a difference.”