SHARON SHAJI ,COHORT 1
Sharon Shaji is a senior in the Macaulay Honors Program at CCNY double majoring in International Studies and Political Science with minors in Women’s Studies and Public Policy. Seeking a public-service orientated education, Sharon has been recognized as a Legal Studies Scholar in the Skadden Arps Program, a Colin Powell Partners for Change Fellow, and a Koch Fellow. As a first-generation American, Sharon's navigation between cultures has influenced both her academic and career pursuits. Sharon is primarily interested in alternative and community-specific forms of justice. She hopes to continually recognize and reclaim her dual identity in all the work she does.
TALIA ARIF , COHORT 1
My name is Talia Arif, I was born in Pakistan and immigrated to the U.S. with my family in 2001. My identities as a Muslim, South Asian, undocumented young woman have shaped my experience in the U.S. and drew me to social justice. At the age of 16 I became active in my community through a local South Asian organization based in Jackson Heights, I’ve been working with the organization for six years now. I have organized on issues of student criminalization in NYC high schools, immigration and gender justice. In 2017, I had an amazing opportunity to lead a young women’s gender justice program called Eckshate: Together for Gender Justice. Alongside community organizing I’ve also been an educator in informal settings like a mentorship program in community college and working at an afterschool program in Inwood. Someday I would like to be a middle school teacher, a writer and an adjunct professor. I am inspired by the young woman/activist scholars in the Beyond Identity Program and it’s an honor to join them in this journey.
ROSAURY VALENZUELA, COHORT 1
I feel like this program will help me find my identity and enable me to fight for those who feel the same way I do. For the people who don't fit under one category or who can't easily answer the question "What are you?" or “Where are you from?”. My future goal is to ultimately work for the United Nations. That is why I have participated in various UN conferences and attended the Women's Forum. I am very interested in Asian and Middle Eastern affairs and issues, especially those relating to women, and the rights and oppressions they may face. I feel like I’ve only been able to hear about them through a very “white feminist” perspective, so I believe this program will help me understand the issues more first hand through the real accounts of women of color and help me explore my own experiences with oppression and inequality. I believe the only way to truly understand these things is by working and engaging side by side with people rather than reading it from a textbook. Throughout my college career, I have struggled to find what interest I have and how to be more engaged in classes and my overall community. I don’t want to waste one minute being idle. and I think being a part of this program we’ll be a stepping stone in what I hope to be a great academic adventure and it would be a pleasure to be part of such an exciting and innovative program that speaks to me on a personal level.