As an LGBTQ+ scholar and a first-generation university graduate, I am committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) both inside and outside the classroom. In the classroom, I use teaching methods that empower students to engage with each other in an inclusive manner and to become active collaborators in the learning process. Through the teaching of the history of minority groups in the premodern world, I explain the role of religious, social, and political identities of the people from the respective society of the geographical area and time period we study per course. Outside the classroom, I bring the experiences and knowledge I have gained from my service at the University of Michigan as a DEI Leader at the Rackham Professional Development Leadership Program, a DEI co-chair at the Graduate Rackham International, and a Board Member at the Student Advisory Board at the DEI Office at the University of Michigan—roles through which I organized conversations on social justice, intersectionality, microaggression, and accessibility of international students.
My efforts have been geared toward three areas:
Addressing the mentoring needs of minority students
Highlighting that international students are an integral part of DEI because they bear many identities as underrepresented minorities, including the identity of different citizenship, which excludes them from certain resources
Promoting the inclusion of diverse scholars, for instance, by diversifying syllabi to include the works of underrepresented academics
