ABOUT MEI identify as genderqueer, Muslim and immigrant. I was born in the midst of war in Kabul, Afghanistan and raised in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After winning a nation-wide undergraduate scholarship, I landed in the Twin Cities to pursue my undergraduate studies in Political Science and Global Studies.
Prior to embarking on my educational journey, I worked for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Kabul, Afghanistan for five years, where I assisted the international organizations and the civil society on issues of migration, displacement and gender equity. I have also served as a short-term gender consultant for the Afghan Government and European Union Election Observation Mission in Afghanistan. I aim to establish a collaborative bridge between academia and community where I bring in my academic learnings and experience into the community in order to empower, uplift and support marginalized individuals, groups and identities including racial, ethnic and religious minorities, women, LGBTQIA individuals, migrants, refugees and people with disabilities. I live in Philadelphia, PA with my kitten, Shamali. In my free time, I love to cook, write poems and volunteer at nursing homes. |
