Mariam Khayata is a rising junior at Rhodes College, majoring in international studies and political science and minoring in Middle East and Islamic studies. She is an active member of the Rhodes Student Government, serving as its chair of the diversity and inclusion senate committee. Off campus, Mariam is the secretary and communications director of 901 Ummah, a Memphis-based nonprofit organization that empowers future Muslim leaders. Mariam's academic interests surround how U.S. foreign policy impacts the political, social, and economic affairs of the Middle East. After graduation, she hopes to work in the U.S. State Department to create meaningful and mutually beneficial foreign policy. Mariam lives in Memphis, TN and is originally from Aleppo, Syria.