Seton Hall University students participated in a new experiential learning project during the spring semester, connecting classroom study with real-world engagement through the Global Women’s Health Innovation Through Cross-Cultural Service-Learning Initiative. Reverend Brian Muzás, Ph.D., director of The School of Diplomacy’s Center for UN and Global Governance Studies, led the effort as part of his “Religion, Race, and International Relations” course. The initiative was funded by the University’s Idea Hall program and organized through the U.S.-Pakistan Intercultural Coalition (UPIC), which recently became affiliated with Seton Hall.
UPIC partnered with PinkDetect—an organization focused on early breast cancer detection using Pakistan’s first AI-powered breast health management app—as well as Just Results LLC and Rose Castle Foundation to create content for the course. Three graduate students—Joella Zwack, Caitlin Wilson, and Safwan Ali—completed professional development fellowships with UPIC in support of this work.
The project included several skill-building workshops. In one session led by Kate Sierra, senior instructional designer at Seton Hall, students received training on Adobe tools before participating in a social media campaign exercise facilitated by PinkDetect co-founders Solmaz Ebrahimi-Iranpour and Suha Suleman Lalani. Students designed digital advocacy campaigns as their first artifact project for PinkDetect.
Further public workshops included a session on scriptural reasoning led by Matthew E. Vaughan from Columbia University and Rabbi Reuven Firestone from Hebrew Union College. Another workshop organized by Just Results LLC examined racial and ethnic dynamics across different countries using case studies from Brazil, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Dominican Republic.
The final event—a “Student Innovation Hackathon”—challenged student teams to develop digital solutions for PinkDetect’s expansion into East Africa. Their projects were judged by guest speakers at a closing reception that also marked UPIC’s official launch within Seton Hall’s United Nations Center.
UPIC Executive Director Anjum Malik said, “The project was a celebration of Seton Hall’s student talent and achievements… The most fulfilling part was seeing sustained student engagement and growth.” Graduate student Zachary Cooney reflected, “I never thought I would read passages from the Quran… This enabled me to discover the similarities and beauties between interreligious texts.” Safwan Ali added that organizing workshops strengthened his project management skills while connecting him with diverse partners.
