American politician (born 1978)
Atif Mustafa Qarni (born 1978) is an American teacher, former military non-commissioned officer, and Democratic politician who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as Virginia Secretary of Education. 
Early life and education.
Emigrating from Karachi, Pakistan, with his family at the age of ten, Qarni grew up in Parkville, Maryland, before moving to Manassas, Virginia, in 2005. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in sociology from George Washington University, a master’s in history and a teaching license in secondary education from George Mason University, and is a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University.
Career.
He served in the United States Marine Corps, was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He served as a paralegal at the international law firm McDermott Will &amp; Emery before beginning a career in teaching. He then served as a civics, economics, U.S. history, and math teacher at Beville Middle School in Dale City. Qarni ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013, losing to incumbent Bob Marshall, and for the Virginia Senate in 2015, losing the Democratic nomination to Jeremy McPike. He was appointed as the Virginia Secretary of Education by governor Ralph Northam in 2017. In 2021, he resigned from the cabinet position to become the managing director of external affairs at Temple University’s Hope Center. In 2024, he ran in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th congressional district, placing third.
References.
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