Meet Our Scholars
Maya Ghanem
Duke University
International Studies
They/Them
BIPOC
Maya Ghanem (they/them) is an undergraduate student at Duke University majoring in International Comparative Studies, with a concentration in the Middle East. They seek a career in social work to support queer Muslims, QTIPOC environmental justice, and community renewable energy initiatives. Maya approaches social welfare as encompassing energy, technology, and the environment. They also hope to center queer Muslim joy and ways of being in every facet of their life. Maya takes part in Duke-funded research on the energy-health nexus in the Middle East and climate-induced urban migration. As a Mellon Mays Fellow, they are pursuing an honors thesis on Muslim, Indigenous, and queer environmentalisms in the United States. Maya also advocated for QTIPOC environmental organizers when they attended COP26. They engaged in community work through their involvement with Westminster Free Clinic, leading a food insecurity project and serving as both a student manager and medical intern. At Duke, Maya is the Justice Director of the Undergraduate Environmental Union, a content writer for Muslim Women For, a Jummah 4 All member, and a staff writer for Jasur Magazine.