Aman Zulfiqar
Outreach Intern Fall 2023
Aman is a senior pre-law undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Chicago, studying English with a double concentration in literature and professional writing. She is preparing for law school, and is excited to be a part of CAIR's outreach program. She hopes to bridge her experiences as a Muslim American with the ones CAIR helps to identify and improve. She is excited to learn more about the civil rights process and how communicating with different organizations in Chicago will re-define her role as an active member in her community. She has previously completed an internship with the Illinois Human Rights Department, where she gained experience working with employment and discrimination cases. She is looking forward to sharpening her communication skills, contributing to raising awareness, and fighting discrimination. In her free time, Aman enjoys reading and journaling, cooking new recipes, going on walks along the lake, and spending time with her friends and family.
Kehkashan Hussaini
Communications Intern Fall 2023
Kehkashan Hussaini is a 3rd-year Pre-Law student at the Illinois Institute of Technology where she is majoring in Global Studies and minoring in Architecture. As part of Illinois Tech’s Honors Law Program, she will pursue her law degree at Kent College of Law. She joined CAIR because its mission resonated with her aspirations as a future lawyer: to give underrepresented groups a platform to ignite change. Her goal is to unite Muslim communities under the mission of advocating for each other, regardless of background and identity. She is a freelance Photographer and Graphic Designer, the Vice President of Finances for Illinois Tech’s Camras Scholar Program and was a Law Intern at the Kankakee Courthouse this past summer. She looks forward to learning and improving under CAIR Chicago’s guidance.
Evelyn Ronan
Communications Intern Fall 2023
Evelyn is a high school senior at Jones College Prep in the South Loop area. She hopes to attend a 4-year university and graduate with a BA in comparative religion and theology. She is passionate about helping others learn about the scriptural cannons and tenets of each religion and does so through blogging and posting interviews with religious officials from around the city. She also enjoys visiting different religious sites like churches and temples and photographing them. Evelyn is currently helping conduct religious and sociology-based research at a local university and hopes to continue doing something similar in college. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and rating movie soundtracks.
Christian Gibbs
Communications Intern Fall 2023
My name is Christian Gibbs, and I am a pre-med student majoring in political science at the University of Illinois Chicago. My goal is to go to law school and one day become a lawyer. I spent my first two years of undergrad at a community college that I got free tuition in because of my academic success in high school. I applied for the CAIR Chicago internship during the fall because I believe it will give me the necessary skills needed for my future career in law. What excites me the most about the program is the civil rights aspect and the research into how certain policies or institutions can adopt discriminatory practices. This summer I completed the Global Tech Experience internship and we just performed data analytics to determine if the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) has any bias, conscious or not, towards minority applicants. For fun I like to go to the gym, bike ride, and spend time with friends.
Shagufta Syeda
Law Clerk Intern Fall 2023
Shagufta is a recent graduate from UCLA School of Law. She completed her LL.M. and specialized in Human Rights Law with a Pro Bono Distinction. She aspires to become a civil rights and human rights law attorney after clearing the Bar Exam. Her aim is to contribute to the advocacy for challenging oppressive and discriminatory practices, increased access to legal aid, and the fair and just representation of people from different communities facing institutional discrimination and systemic oppression. She also wishes to work towards integrating intersectionality into the field of legal advocacy. Shagufta’s hobbies include organizing and managing programs and events, participating in and organizing conferences on international law/human rights/civil rights, travelling, volunteering, doing charity work, and exploring new cultures and cuisines. Apart from civil rights and human rights, she takes keen interest in the advancement of Sexual and Reproductive Rights of women and children.
Sarah Mohammed
Operations Intern - Fall 2023
Sarah Mohammed is a Fall Operations Intern at CAIR Chicago. She is from Chicago, IL and is currently a sophomore at DePaul University double majoring in Finance and Management with a concentration in Human Resources. She is currently still debating on exactly what profession she wants to choose in the future, but she is mainly inclined towards business and public policy. She chose CAIR Chicago to not only gain experience in the business world and work on her skills in operations, but also help fight discrimination Muslims face in America and do her part to help as much as she can. In her free time, Sarah likes to spend time with her family and friends, watch movies, and bake new recipes with her mom.
Emeline Wright
Law Clerk Intern - Fall 2023
Emeline is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Chicago, studying Public Policy and Law, Letters and Society. At UChicago, she competes in undergraduate Moot Court and works as a research assistant in the Comparative Human Development Department. Emeline is excited to work in CAIR's Civil Rights Department in order to learn more about civil rights law and assist in fighting discrimination. Some of her other legal interests include immigration law and constitutional law. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, reading, and writing.
Sharanya Choudhury
Communications Research Intern - Summer 2023
Sharanya is an undergraduate student at University of California, Los Angeles where she studies Political Science and hopes to pursue a career in the legal field with a focus on human rights. At school, she is a member of FEM Newsmagazine, Bruin Political Review, and the Political Science Undergraduate Journal. She also works in communications at UCLA Law School’s Promise Institute for Human Rights. Sharanya is passionate about social justice advocacy for marginalized groups at an intersectional level to create social change. In her free time, she likes listening to music, weightlifting, and spending time with friends and family. She is excited to work with CAIR Chicago as a research intern this summer because she firmly believes in CAIR’s mission to achieve civil rights, fight discrimination against, and promote tolerance for Muslims in the Chicagoland area and across the country.
Seereen Alrefai
Operations Intern - Summer 2023
Seereen is a senior at Bradley University, studying Human Resource Management. She is the president of the University's MSA, the Muslim Student Association. Seereen has a passion for event planning, specifically when it comes to her Muslim community. She's a member of their local Masjid's open house committee, as well as participated and graduated from the Muslim Leadership Program in Peoria Illinois. She launched a fundraising initiative for their masjid, focusing on energy and environment savings through solar energy. Seereen is always eager to learn and is looking forward to spending time with CAIR-Chicago.
Adem Osmani
Civil Rights Law Clerk - Summer 2023
Adem is a rising 2L at Notre Dame Law School. He is the president of the NDLS American Constitution Society Chapter and secretary of the NDLS National Lawyers Guild Chapter. Adem graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022, where he studied political science. He is from Oak Lawn, Illinois and is of Albanian descent. Adem is passionate about supporting CAIR’s mission to empower American Muslims and defend civil liberties. Adem enjoys playing basketball, watching sports, and spending time with his family and friends.
Yasmine Shaaban
Civil Rights Law Clerk - Summer 2023
Yasmine is a rising 2L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she is a member of the Loyola National Lawyers Guild and participates in the Health Justice Project clinic. She graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Public Health. Prior to law school, Yasmine worked at a technology consulting firm, where she worked closely with stakeholders to play a critical role in ensuring successful and seamless integrations of software at various organizations. Yasmine chose CAIR because she has long admired the work they have done in advocating for the Muslim community and wants to actively assist in addressing civil rights violations, promoting religious freedom, and challenging discrimination, ultimately contributing to a positive social change and making a difference in the lives of marginalized communities. In her free time, Yasmine enjoys thrift shopping, traveling, and exploring the city with family and friends.
Marwa Tahboub
Research Intern - Winter/Spring 2023
Marwa is a second-year communication Ph.D. student at Northwestern University. Her research interests surround non-profit organizations that represent marginalized communities and engage in social movement efforts. Currently working on her Master’s thesis, she is interviewing Muslim non-profit organizations that have supported the BlackLivesMatter movement and similar social movements and issues with their communities to explore intergroup solidarity. Marwa’s research interests closely align with the mission of CAIR, and she looks forward to contributing to CAIR’s efforts as an intern. Prior to starting her graduate program, Marwa received her Bachelor’s in communication and psychology at the University of Michigan-Flint. In her free time, she likes to paint, read, longboard, and watch movies.
Rebekah Jin
Research Intern - Winter/Spring 2023
Rebekah is a Chicago native and sophomore at Loyola University Chicago where she studies International Studies, Political Science, and Public Health. She has experience working in public health developing curricula and leading youth initiatives to promote health awareness. She is passionate for health equity, women’s health, and social justice as an advocate for socially disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. She is an active undergraduate researcher at Loyola as a Ricci Scholar, selected to research prenatal health care in Italy and Vietnam next year. Rebekah joins CAIR-Chicago wanting to enhance her understanding of civil rights protection and contribute to social justice research. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) and law degree. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, knitting, and reading feminist literature.
Giana Aguilar-Valencia
Communications Intern - Winter/Spring 2023
Giana Aguilar-Valencia is a junior at DePaul University, where she is studying Computer Science and Journalism with a minor in Public Law/Public Thought. She was born in Hackensack, NJ and raised in Orlando, FL. She transferred to DePaul University in the Fall 2022 quarter. After graduating she plans on obtaining a master's degree in data science and attending law school to become a lawyer. Giana discovered CAIR-Chicago in an interview she did with Sufyan Sohel in a story she wrote for The DePaulia. She joined CAIR to learn more about the systems of oppression affecting underserved and underrepresented communities, and to make a difference. Her future profession surrounds technology, communications, government, and plans on running for public office. Giana was born to Colombian immigrants. She is also a Grace Hopper Scholar. For fun, she reads, writes, codes, travels, dances, and works on her podcast called Not To Your Standards on Spotify.