2006
Uzma Bawany
Communications Intern - Fall '06
Uzma Bawany is a senior at DePaul University who has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Communications Intern. She is on track to earning her Bachelors Degree in Commerce with a concentration in Marketing and minor in Sociology this spring. Fortunately through both current and previous work experience she has been able to familiarize herself in various aspects of marketing by taking active responsibility in consumer research, promotions, strategic analysis and sales. Her most previous work opportunity includes working with the Harris Bank corporate marketing team doing strategic analysis and assisting in development of a future promotional program. Her true passion is working with people and she believes true balance in life is achieved by matching your financial and career successes with efforts toward betterment of the global community.
Mai Mahmoud Staiti
Visiting Volunteer - Fall '06
Mai Mahmoud Staiti is an apprentice with the AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) and a visiting Volunteer with CAIR-Chicago. She is in her third year studying marketing at the Arab American University in Jenin. She is a coach of the Popular Achievement program in Palestine, an AFSC initiative in Jenin. She instructs youth on many concepts including democracy, effective communication, team work, and non-violence. Mai encourages the youth that she instructs to implement what they have learned in their communities in order that they may themselves guide others in the future. Members of her group have gone on to contribute to their communities by opening a library, planting trees, and imparting the values they have learned to their peers. Her group known as Watanna meaning our home also produced and performed a play in order to work toward the revival of the arts and culture community of Jenin, due to the city's decline during the Intifada, in which all entrances to the town were closed by the Israeli army. Mai is here visiting organizations in several cities of the U.S. to share her experiences and learn more in the way of activism to better serve her work in Palestine.
Marwah Serag
Civil Rights - Fall '06
Marwah Serag is in her third year of law school at DePaul University, College of Law and joins CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Intern. She is concentrating her study of the law on Immigration Law and International Human Rights Law. She is pursuing an internship at CAIR-Chicago because she wants to protect and promote the rights of Muslims. In the future she hopes to work in the international community upholding human rights.
Amy Chaing
Civil Rights Intern - Fall '06
Amy Chiang is in her second year of law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law and joins CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Intern. She has an interest in Immigration Law, Civil Rights Law, and Family Law. She has worked for a family law firm for the past three years. She is a graduate of DePaul University where she majored in Business Administration and Economics. Amy is an avid Steelers fan and hopes to cheer them on to another Super Bowl victory this year.
Rachel Rondy
Law Clerk - Fall '06
Rachel Rondy is in her second year of DePaul University College of Law J.D. program. She recently joined CAIR-Chicago as a Law Clerk in the civil rights department. Rachel's main interests are international human rights law and civil rights. She spent the summer working on a land law development project in Cambodia.
Ross Zambon
Civil Rights Intern - Fall '06
Ross Zambon is in his third and final year at the John Marshall Law School, as a joint J.D./LL.M. student in taxation. He has recently joined the CAIR-Chicago team as a Civil Rights Intern, with an undecided future in the legal community. By means of his degree in finance from the University of Illinois, Mr. Zambon is interested in international business, foreign policy, and worldwide civil rights. As an avid football fan, Mr. Zambon has not missed a Bears game in 19 and one half years!
Maria Banjo
Civil Rights Intern - Fall '06
Maria Banjo is in her first year of law school at John Marshall Law School and joins CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Intern. She has a strong interest in International Law, Human Rights Law, and Civil Rights Law. As an undergrad at Agnes Scott College, she majored in Political Science and minored in Africana Studies. Maria hobbies and interests include dance choreography and track and field.
Rashad Tahir
Operations Intern - Fall '06
Rashad Tahir joins CAIR-Chicago as an Operations Intern. He is currently pursuing a degree in Finance from DePaul University. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Rashad has a strong interest in the fields of finance and accounting, and hopes to gain valuable knowledge and experience in assisting the community. Outside of school, he enjoys reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Ndidi Amatullah
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Ndidi Amatullah Okakpu has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Communications Intern. She is completing a Bachelors of Science in Finance and Communications at DePaul University, while serving as VP of Marketing for the National Association of Black Accountants and Social Action Chair for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - Lambda Chapter. She has also completed one academic year of Arabic and Islamic studies at the Abu Nour Institute in Damascus, Syria. Ndidi has served as organizing secretary for The Mosque Cares National Youth Dawah Organization, is the founder of For Brothers & Sisters Mentoring and has promoted interfaith relations with the Chicago Focolare Movement and the Washington, DC Metropolitan Interfaith Conference. While her interests are in finance, she excels in marketing and communications. She admires CAIR-Chicago's dedication to Muslim civil rights and hopes to aide to the best of her capacities.
Manar Jamal
Graphic Design Intern - Summer '06
Manar Jamal has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Graphical Design Intern. Manar graduated from Saint Xavier University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems (MIS), and was accepted as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). After taking courses in graphic art and working in the University's Art and Design lab and Art Gallery, she decided to try out a career in Graphic Design. She is also interested in marketing, management, web design and multimedia. Manar enjoys reading,learning new software and helping other Muslims. Manar hopes to attend DePaul's Graduate School of Business in the near future.
Sadaf Hameed
Operations Intern - Summer '06
Sadaf Hameed has joined CAIR-Chicago as an Operations Intern. Sadaf graduated from Islamic Foundation School in Villa Park this past spring, and currently volunteers at Loyola University Medical Center as an Emergency Room Unit Aide. Sadaf is going to attend the College of Dupage this fall and plans on tranferring to Depaul University in 2 years. Sadaf holds a high brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and is planning on pursuing a degree in journalism and law.
Tannia Dubon
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Tannia Dubon received her bachelor's in English Literature and French from DePaul University, and has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Communications Intern Her academic interests in language, culture, and history have led her to pursue a career in civil rights and immigration law. She was previously an intern at the Economic Department of the French Consulate and more recently at the Silk Road Theatre in Chicago. Her internship at CAIR has been a great experience thus far; she has found CAIR to be a safe, intellectually stimulating, and positive environment in which to learn and work. In the Communication department she is able to do what she enjoys most research, critical analysis, and writing.
Jack Ritchey
Governmental Relations Intern - Summer '06
Jack Ritchey joins the CAIR Chicago team as a Governmental Relations Intern, and is excited about the opportunity. He is a junior at DePaul University currently pursuing a major in Political Science and a minor in philosophy. Among his interests are civil rights, foreign policy, and the philosophical investigation of democracy. Jack enjoys writing, spending time with his Fraternity brothers, and is an avid St. Louis Blues fan. "Lets go Blues!"
Sarah Sipe
Civil Rights Intern - Summer '06
Sarah Sipe joins the CAIR-Chicago family as a summer intern in the Civil Rights Department. Sarah currently attends law school at the University of Dayton, and received her undergraduate degree in Cultural Studies at DePaul University. Sarah is getting married in August, and enjoys watching sports in her spare time. While Sarah is still deciding on which direction to take her future law career, she is happy to be involved with a passionate organization like CAIR-Chicago.
Samina Sulemanjee
Civil Rights Intern - Summer '06
Samina Sulemanjee is a senior at Northwestern University where she is pursuing a bachelors degree in Political Science and International Studies, focusing on the Middle Eastern region. Samina has joined CAIR-Chicago as a civial rights intern in order to contribute towards the empowerment of the Muslim community and to combat negative stereotypes concerning Muslims. She is also interested in gaining experience in legal affairs. Samina spent the past spring semester studying in Cairo, Egypt, where she took classes on the Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Politics. While in Cairo, she also had the opportunity to work with Sudanese Refugee Children through a tutoring program. Samina's interests include reading, music, traveling, and volunteering in the community. During the school year, she is actively involved with the Campus Kitchens at Northwestern University.
Erin Hartnett
Governmental Relations Intern - Summer '06
Erin Hartnett joins CAIR-Chicago this summer as a Governmental Relations Intern. She is a senior at DePaul University studying history with a pre-law concentration and is interested in politics, international law, foreign policy and the promotion of cultural and religious understanding both domestically and abroad. This summer she will also be attending the United States Foreign Policy Institute at the George Washington University and doing policy research for local congressional candidates while completing the law school application process
Amir Drljevic
Operations Intern - Summer '06
Amir Drljevic joins CAIR-Chicago as an Operations Intern. Amir is a student at the University of Dzemal Bijedic in Bosnia and spent the past year studying psychology at the University of Alabama, Huntsville on a U.S State Department sponsored scholarship. Amir, who is in the process of earning an Bachelor's Degree in information technology and certification in Cisco systems, is a valuable addition to the technology team at CAIR-Chicago. Amir speaks several languages and is also interested in world travel, graphic design, and meeting new people.
Sana Mahmood
Governmental Relations Intern - summer '06
Sana Mahmood is a rising senior at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where she is pursuing a double major in International Studies and Middle Eastern Studies and a minor in Arabic Language. She intends to study abroad at the American University of Cairo in the fall where she hopes to further develop her language skills. Sana has long been involved in community service and outreach and hopes to embark on a career in public service in the future. She has recently joined CAIR-Chicago as a Governmental Relations intern for the summer.
Susan DeConstanza
Civil Rights Department: Travel Free Project - Fall '05
Susan DeCostanza recently finished her first year of law school at DePaul University. This summer she is coordinating CAIR-Chicago's Travel Free Project in the Civil Rights Department. Susan completed her undergraduate work at Boston College in 2001 with a double major in English Literature and Elementary Education. Susan is also the Public Interest Coordinator at DePaul's Law Career Services Office. Susan loves her dog, Stanley.
Ausaf Farooqi
Civil Rights Departmen: Prison Project - Fall '05
Ausaf Farooqi joins the CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Department as the Prison Project Coordinator. Ausaf is beginning his second year of law school at the Chicago-Kent College of Law this fall. Ausaf encourages all Muslims to join in the fight for Muslim Civil Rights and would like to remind his fellow brothers and sisters of the activities of early Muslims when they lived as a minority in Mecca. Much of their early activity with the surrounding community consisted of advocating and defending their ability to practice their religion freely. Once again, Muslims have sometimes found themselves in hostile circumstances as a result of their faith. Insha'Allah, all Muslims should stand to fight abuses to the civil rights of Muslims.
Sarah Terman
Civil Rights Intern - Summer '06
Sarah Terman is a second year student at Northwestern University School of Law and has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Intern. She previously interned with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department in Washington D.C. and also volunteers with the American Civil Liberties Union here in Chicago. She speaks some Farsi and has traveled extensively in Iran, where much of her family resides. Sarah hopes to pursue a career in impact litigation after graduating from law school.
Ahsan Latif
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Ahsan Latif joins CAIR-Chicago as a summer intern in the Communications Department. Ahsan is currently enrolled in Northwestern University's School of Law and hopes to one day conduct complex litigation even he cannot begin to understand. Known to often carry the diploma for his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in his back pocket, Ahsan is currently engaged and will be wed in August. Throughout his undergraduate career he wrote and edited the campus newspaper, occasionally landing himself on the nightly news or the Missouri State House of Representatives. In addition to discovering every Arab themed restaurant in Chicago's metropolitan area, he plans to make the most of the coming weeks by indulging his interest in sports, obscure music and writing. He fully expects that after August he will no longer be afforded such luxuries. When asked why he joined CAIR: "I desperately wanted to be a part of a homonym".
Susan Safiya Stoffel
Cafe Finjan Program - Summer '06
Susan Safiya Stoffel has recently joined CAIR-Chicago to work on the Cafe Finjan program. Cafe Finjan is a series of interfaith arts exchanges between the Jewish and Muslim communities in the Chicagoland area. Safiya converted to Islam in high school and attended Depaul University from 1993 - 2003 on a track and field scholarship. Safiya will be pursuing a Masters in Social Work next spring at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also an active volunteer for both the Special Olympics and the Chicago Boys and Girls club.
Shazia Bux
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Shazia Bux is a first year law student at the Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb. She recently joined CAIR Chicago as an intern in the Communications Department. Shazia was born in India but has been raised here in the US. She has lived all over the country but primarily grew up in upstate New York where she received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Shazia would like to practice civil rights and public interest law after graduating from law school. She currently lives in DeKalb with her husband and three children.
George Tobin
Governmental Relations Intern - Summer '06
George Tobin is a sophomore at Loyola University Chicago, where he is pursuing a degree in Poltical Science and a degree in Communications. George joined CAIR-Chicago as a Governmental Relations Intern due to his interests in diversity and government, and hopes to use this opportunity to gain immersion experience in a possible career path for the future. He plays Ultimate Frisbee, reads, and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Musab Siddiqui
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Musab Siddiqui joins CAIR-Chicago as a summer intern in the Communications Department. Musab is currently finishing off his senior year at North Shore Country Day High School. He will start film school at Claremont-mcKenna College in California this fall. His interests include football, surfing and drama; he is currently acting in Romeo and Juliette. He was drawn to CAIR-Chicago because "it promises to stretch my mind."
Laura Etheredge
Communications Intern - Summer '06
Laura Etheredge has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Communications Department Intern. Laura is a MA candidate in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. She graduated in 2005 from McGill University in Montreal with an Honors degree in Middle Eastern Studies where she also served as an editor for the annual MESSA (Middle Eastern Studies Students' Association) journal. Laura is a self-taught artist with an interest in utilizing the universal nature of artistic vocabulary to communicate and exchange cultural material, and has presented in several shows over the years. Her MA thesis will be a translation and illustration of a piece of Arabic literature for children to promote positive cultural expression and encourage culture-based questions and interest.
Shira Tevah
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Shira Tevah is a first-year student at the University of Chicago who has joined CAIR as a Governmental Relations Intern. She is considering a major in Political Science, Public Policy, or International Studies. She has lived in many places, including Jerusalem for a short while. She is currently taking mostly required classes, and studying the Arabic language. She hopes to become a journalist, diplomat, or peace worker.
Usra Ghazi
Public Service Intern - Spring '06
Usra Ghazi joins CAIR-Chicago as a Public Service Intern, while pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Religion, Ethics, and Social Justice at DePaul University. She serves as a board member of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) and is actively in involved in local community organizations serving the Muslims of Chicago, and particularly the youth. Born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Skokie, IL, Usra is fluent in Urdu, Hindi, Pig-Latin and is currently studying the languages of Arabic and Guitar.
Caitlin Buysse
Communications and Outreach Intern - Spring '06
Caitlin Buysse began interning with CAIR-Chicago in April 2005. During this time, she has worked with the Outreach and Communications departments on interfaith programming, service projects, sensitivity training, and volunteer/intern recruitment. Her academic interests include African-American Islam, Malcolm X, and the dynamics of individual faith and conversion. We look forward to witnessing Caitlin's promising career (and claiming a stake in it). We will certainly miss the professionalism, commitment, and dedication she brought to CAIR-Chicago.
Azam Khan
Civil Rights Intern - Spring '06
Azam Khan is a second year law student at DePaul University, College of Law. Azam currently has an article in review for publication in DePaul's Journal of Art and Entertainment Law; he will serve the journal as its Editor-in-Chief in the upcoming academic year. Azam has also studied law at the University of London and obtained his BA in International Relations from Boston University in 2003. Azam is currently working with CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Extern. Azam plans to pursue a career in International Law.
Haady Taslim
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Haady Taslim has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Government Relations Intern. Haady is currently pursuing a Master's degree in public policy at the University of Chicago, with a focus on international policy. Before coming to Chicago, he taught early elementary school for two years in inner-city New Orleans with Teach for America. He holds a B.A. from the George Washington University in Political Science and French Language and Literature. In his spare time, Haady sings and plays guitar, reads and listens to music.
Rima Kapitan
Volunteer Attorney - Spring '06
Rima Kapitan has joined the Civil Rights Department as a Volunteer Attorney. Rima is a volunteer attorney, assisting the legal defense team on the Muhammad Salah case. She graduated from DePaul University's College of Law in May of 2005. In addition to her education in the U.S., Rima studied abroad at the American University in Beirut, Birzeit University in the West Bank, and the American University in Cairo.
Yara Yousef
Community Service Intern - Spring '06
Yara Yousef is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in psychology and minored in history. She has recently joined CAIR as a Community Service Intern, and is active in the Bridgeview community, Mosque Foundation, and Muslim Youth Center. Yara will be returning this fall to Loyola's graduate school to pursue a master's degree in applied social psychology. She enjoys reading, writing, shopping, and spending time with friends and family.
Serim Cetin
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Serim Cetin is a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Chicago studying Political Science. He joined CAIR-Chicago as an intern with the Governmental Relations Department. He has an interest in local as well as International Politics and History. His favorite pastime is watching and playing soccer. He is originally from Istanbul, Turkey and hopes to return and be active in politics of his home country. He enjoys helping the Muslim community in anyway he can and plans on continuing his involvement after he graduates.
Emaan Nafees
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Emaan Nafees is a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago studying English Literature. She is a CAIR-Chicago intern with the Governmental Relations Department. She has an interest in Politics, History, Poetry, and pretty much anything else she finds remotely intriguing. She plans on teaching English abroad after graduation and thinks about grad school at times as well.
AbdelRahman Murphy
Communications Intern - Spring '06
AbdelRahman Murphy is a freshman Secondary Education for the Social Sciences major at the College of Dupage. AbdelRahman is interning in the Communications Department at CAIR-Chicago. His desire to help the Muslim community keeps him honest in working hard for CAIR. Other than keeping active in the community, AbdelRahman likes to keep active in the pool. He swims for COD and plays Water Polo for the Northern Illinois Polo Club.
Sumaih Aduib
Communications Intern - Spring '06
Sumiah Aduib is a senior at Columbia College Chicago where she is pursuing a bachelors degree in print journalism and a minor in Literature. As an aspiring journalist, she has joined the CAIR team as a Communications Intern to get exposure and experience in her field of study. Sumiah is an avid reader who enjoys working out, writing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her husband of two years, family, and friends. She is also an active volunteer at the Mosque Foundation as well as the Muslim Youth Center in Bridgeview.
Nathan Wells
Civil Rights Intern - Spring '06
Nathan Wells is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago as an undergraduate student majoring in political science with a minor in international studies, and is considering a legal career in International Law. He is also completing his seventh year as a Sergeant in the Army National Guard after a 15 month deployment to Iraq. Nathan has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Intern because of his interest in the Islamic faith and to take an effective role in countering the mistreatment of the Muslim community caused by misinformation and stereotypes. Nathan plays the violin, breakdances, DJ's, plays percussion, competes in mixed martial arts, tries to learn Urdu and is often referred to as a funny guy.
Farah Khan
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Farah Khan is a junior at Loyola University Chicago where she is pursuing a major in biology and a minor in journalism. She has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Government Relations Intern and has had experience being active in several local activist organizations and the community at large. She hopes to work with CAIR-Chicago to help give resonance to the voice of Chicago-area Muslims.
John Rush
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
John Rush is a governmental relations volunteer at CAIR. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a Master's in Urban Studies (M.A.) and Wheaton Graduate School with a Master's degree (M.A.) in Biblical and Theological studies and a Master's degree (M.A.) in Religion in American Life. John served as a Pastor in a non-denominational Christian church for five years and a homeless shelter for three prior to his concentrated interests in pursuing the possibility of PhD work and/or research at the University of Chicago. Currently, John's interests are encompassed in a triad focus on religion, the academy and politics. This past summer John had the opportunity to present a paper in Cambridge on Islamic conceptions of political peace. His preparation for the presentation fostered an interest in comparative studies between Christianity and Islam. Most recently he has been working on Freud and Augustine on concupiscence and Bonhoeffer's response to totalitarianism. While John has strong inclinations towards academic work he desires to remain connected and involved in a local Christian church while also remaining active in various social and politically involved organizations (such as CAIR-Chicago) where he can engage in interfaith dialogue and assist in serving for the common good. John's interests exist within a context where they are held in relative balance with a large and growing family, his wife Debbie and seven children-- John, Timothy, Daniel, Andrew, Samuel, Sarah, and Rebekah.
David Sweis
Civil Rights Extern - Spring '06
David Sweis, a second year law student at The John Marshall Law School, is CAIR-Chicago's first Extern working in the Civil Rights department. His expected graduation date is May, 2007. Mr. Sweis is looking forward to his forthcoming publication in the New York International Law Review this summer. Mr. Sweis earned a B.A. in Political Science at DePaul University and is considering a legal career in International Law and Civil Rights.
Azhar Kothawala
Civil Rights Intern - Spring '06
Azhar Kothawala is currently an undergrad at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he is majoring in neuroscience. Even though he hopes to pursue a career in medicine, Azhar joined CAIR because he was impressed with the crucial work CAIR does for the Muslim community and because he appreciates the experience of working as a Civil Rights Intern.
Jennifer Lyda
Governmental Relations Intern - Spring '06
Jennifer Lyda is a senior at Loyola University Chicago who had joined CAIR-Chicago as a Government Relations Intern. She is an international studies major and asian studies minor. she enjoys traveling and meeting funny people. she also loves to read mysteries and draw with pencils.