2016
Oscar Martinez
Civil Rights Intern - Fall 2016
Oscar Martinez is a Fall 2016 Civil Rights Intern at CAIR-Chicago. Oscar is going into his junior year at University of Illinois-Chicago where he is majoring in English and minoring in International Studies. His plan is to attend law school in the hopes to eventually land a career where he is able to aid those that society has turned their back on. He was drawn to CAIR-Chicago for a similar reason in that he wants to be able to help put to rest the misconceptions that too often plagues Muslims and help educate society on Muslim communities. When not working Oscar loves to play soccer and read books.
Maryem Abdulla
Civil Rights Intern - Fall 2016
Maryem Abdulla is a fall Civil Rights Intern at CAIR-Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago-Honors College in 2015 where she studied Political Science and Communications. She is a rising 2L at DePaul University College of Law. In the future, she hopes to work as an immigration or human rights attorney, one day owning her own firm. As an Arab-American she is interested in giving back to her community and was especially drawn to CAIR’s mission of empowering the American Muslim community while defending civil rights and the promotion of tolerance. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, visiting 7 countries since January.
Connor Dimmick
Civil Rights Intern - Fall 2016
Connor Dimmick is a Fall 2016 Civil Rights Intern at CAIR-Chicago. He is an incoming senior at Loyola University-Chicago studying Political Science and International Studies. His future goals include attending law school and eventually pursuing a career working with Human Rights based NGOs to protect the rights of people regardless of their identity. He was drawn to CAIR-Chicago because of his interest in Civil Rights and Social Justice as well as CAIR-Chicago’s mission of educating the public about Muslim communities in America through engagement and interfaith dialogue. In his free time, he enjoys learning about perspectives different than his own as well as writing music.
Maryam Sultan
Communications Intern - Summer 2016
Maryam Sultan is a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying English and Secondary Education. Maryam aspires to become a high school teacher and diversify curriculum in public schools in the hopes of creating a more culturally aware and tolerant generation of students. Joining CAIR-Chicago is a step towards achieving her goal of facilitating change within the Chicago and Muslim communities. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching Korean dramas and getting emotionally invested in fictional characters.
Mandie Czech
Communications Intern - Summer 2016
Mandie Czech is recently graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a majoring in Psychology and minor in Sociology. She is part of Psi Chi (Psychology) honor society. She first heard of CAIR-Chicago while doing research for college classes. She was drawn to CAIR by its cause and intellectual atmosphere. Her goal is to work as a researcher in the University system examining the role of religion, primarily Islam on people’s lives and choices. A second goal is to write successful screenplays documenting the human condition.
Arabella Breck
Communications Intern - Summer 2016
Arabella Breck is going into her third year studying journalism at Columbia College Chicago where in addition to pursuing her degree she is a managing editor for Columbia's student-run newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle. Her future career goal is to become an international correspondent. Involvement in localized organizations that have interest in the global community is something that she values and is why she decided to intern with CAIR-Chicago this summer. Dogs and vegan food are also high on the list of things she values.
Christian Sanchez
Operations Intern - Summer 2016
Christian Sanchez is a summer Operations Intern at CAIR-Chicago. He is a student at Saint Xavier University, where he is majoring in History and minoring in Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Communications, and Political Science. Christian has the desire to attend law school and from there perhaps become an attorney, a judge, or enter the ever exciting world of politics. He joined CAIR-Chicago because he believes that the people of the world are one people, and that the chaos and anger being stirred up by Islamophobia hurts us all. In his free time Christian enjoys to learn about things ranging from history to how objects in our daily lives work, and being immersed in ethnic cultures. He also has a soft spot for delicious vegan cuisine.
Siham Naser
Operations Intern - Summer 2016
Siham Naser will be a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago, finishing her degree in Finance. Her passion for helping others and spreading unity and awareness is what made her choose CAIR-Chicago. She is also invested in promoting equal civil rights, which is part of CAIR-Chicago's mission. Her dedication to hard work is a value she strongly believes in. Siham’s interests include baking, reading, horseback riding and traveling.
Zarina Wong
Outreach Intern - Summer 2016
Zarina Wong is a summer volunteer activist at CAIR-Chicago. She will be a freshman at University of California Los Angeles in the fall where she plans on studying Mathematics for Teaching with a minor in Music Industry. Zarina’s interests in interfaith and civic engagement after her involvement with campus ministry in her high school lead to her work with CAIR. She is passionate about forming understandings between people of different faiths and a positive image of Muslims in the media. In the past, Zarina has spent her time volunteering at the Sue Duncan Center tutoring children ages 5-13 and coaching music camps with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra. She wishes to pursue a career in teaching mathematics while fostering her passion of music and social activism.
Esraa Aburaas
Outreach Intern - Summer 2016
Esraa Aburass is a rising junior at Saint Xavier University, double majoring in Business Administration and Finance along with a double Minor in Sociology and Middles Eastern Studies. Esraa is a summer 2016 Outreach Intern at CAIR-Chicago. During her time at CAIR, she hopes to expand and increase her knowledge of the Muslim community here in Chicago along with the diversity of other communities that surrounds CAIR-Chicago. As a Muslim, she joined CAIR-Chicago because she understands the increasing bigotry and stereotype that each individual her faith community faces. Esraa hopes to promote tolerance and make change in Chicago and the world. She believes that every little change is a piece of puzzle in which it will definitely create a picture and, hopefully, that picture is “PEACE”. In her free time, Esraa loves to play soccer, travel, and listen to Arabian music, specifically tarab.
Eliska Schnabel
Research Intern - Summer 2016
Eliska Schnabel is a Research Extern at CAIR-Chicago. She is a PhD candidate in the department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and currently works on her dissertation proposal concerning protests against mosques in Chicago and Berlin. She believes that externship at CAIR-Chicago will be invaluable in her effort to complete her dissertation. Eliska holds two Bachelor’s degrees in International Relations, Political Science, and European Studies from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, and also a Master’s degree in International Relations from the same university. She comes from Benesov, Czech Republic, which is a small town close to Prague. She currently lives in Wheaton, Il with her husband Jay and sons Samuel (3) and Daniel (1). Eliska exercises almost every day, as it is the best way to relieve stress from her busy life. She competes in triathlons and running races and qualified for 2016 National Championship in olympic distance triathlon.
Lana Shatat-Kashkeesh
Civil Rights Volunteer Attorney - Summer 2016
Lana Shatat-Kashkeesh is a John Marshall Law School graduate and a licensed attorney. Lana joined the CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Department in order to gain invaluable experience assisting individuals with immigration and discrimination-related legal matters. She is a major soccer enthusiast, a gym buff and an avid reader. In the future, Lana plans to fulfill her passion for human rights through the practice of immigration law.
Shivani Chokshi
Civil Rights Intern - Summer 2016
Shivani Chokshi will be graduating from Marquette University this December with a Peace Studies major and Arabic and Biological Sciences minors. She hopes to work in New York during her semester off before attending law school next fall. A former Government Affairs intern, Shivani returned to CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights intern this summer because she is passionate about learning about that specific area of law. Shivani aims to be an immigration, civil rights and family lawyer. Shivani is an avid world traveler, enjoys learning new languages and aspires to be a recreational photographer in her free time.
Emma Herman
Civil Rights Intern - Summer 2016
Emma Herman is going into her fourth year at the University of Chicago, where she studies history and philosophy, with a minor in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Within the field of civil rights, she is particularly interested in cases of police misconduct, police brutality, and racial profiling. An avid traveler, she plans to continue her Arabic studies in Lebanon and perhaps pursue a career in American civil rights or international human rights law.
Hadisa Wali
Civil Rights Intern - Summer 2016
Hadisa Wali is going to be senior this fall at Millikin University in Decatur IL, where she majors political science and was a part of student Senate for the third year. She represented international student and as a senior she did run for the position of student representative to the board of trustees at Millikin, and now she serves as the Millikin Student Rep to the Board. She is a part of the Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science) HONOR SOCIETY and she plans to join law school after she graduates. As she used to volunteer for afghan women's Network and other civil rights organization, and is interested to help people through her work. she joined Cair-Chicago to work with civil rights department and reach to her goals.
Bradley Crandall
Law Clerk - Summer 2016
Bradley Crandall is mid-way through his third year at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. At John Marshall, Bradley has represented inmates and detained individuals in Prisoner’s Rights Cases through the school’s Pro Bono Clinic as well as served as Treasurer for the school’s chapter of The Federalist Society. He is currently focused on earning the International Human Rights Certificate, which he’ll utilize in defending citizen’s civil and economic rights. Prior to attending law school, Bradley simultaneously worked at G.A. Crandall & Co., Inc. managing commercial insurance accounts as well as majoring in Political Science at DePaul University in Chicago, from which he graduated in 2012. He joined CAIR-Chicago to both ensure that Muslim Americans are afforded the same civil rights protections as other Americans as well as better educate the public about those rights. In his leisure, Bradley enjoys collecting (and reading) books, as well as riding his Harley-Davidson around the country.
Ashni Gandhi
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Ashni Gandhi is a rising sophomore at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in English. She was drawn to CAIR-Chicago because of her desire to learn about and help the Muslim community. During the months leading up to this election season, she believes in educating the community on the viewpoints of elected officials on the local and federal level and promoting civic engagement. In her free time she likes to finding new places to eat, traveling and staying active.
Fatma Walli
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Fatma Walli studies International Relations and Economics at Roosevelt University. She is interested in Economic Development for underdeveloped countries. In her free time she enjoys reading non-fiction political books, exploring different neighborhoods and trying new Chicago eateries. She decided to join CAIR Chicago in order to effectively represent the American Muslim community as well as diversify her experiences.
Anna Ellison
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Anna Ellison is a summer Government Affairs Intern at CAIR-Chicago. She is a student at the University of Richmond, where she studies Arabic and International Studies with a concentration in global diplomacy and politics. Anna hopes to pursue a career that addresses civil and human rights on both a local and global scale. Anna became interested in CAIR for the notable work the organization has done advocating for the rights of Muslims, as well as educating and engaging the public in their mission. Anna is an active member of several organizations on her campus, including the Muslim Students Association, a pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, and her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Anna enjoys reading any and all books, spending time with her cat, and eating copious amounts of Thai food.
Ghufran Salih
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Ghufran Salih is a summer Outreach Volunteer Activist at CAIR Chicago. She is an incoming freshman at Syracuse University studying Information Management and Technology as well as Technical Theatre. Ghufran hopes to She feels humbled to be working with CAIR for the second year in a row. Ghufran's desire to promote tolerance and fight bigotry aligns with CAIR Chicago's mission statement and they all lived happily ever after. In her spare time, Ghufran enjoys social media activism, coding, and eating tacos.
Alexandra Kirchner
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Alexandra Kirchner will be a junior this fall at Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college in Chicago’s western suburbs, where she studies International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies. She joined CAIR-Chicago for the summer session because of her passion for human rights advocacy and interest in studying the connection between international events and the treatment of Muslim communities in the United States. She hopes to continue on to further education and a position in the Foreign Service where she can put her French language skills, passion for cross-cultural learning and interest in international politics to use. Until then, she is content with constantly reading about other people’s adventures, usually way past her bedtime.
Alexander Miceli
Government Affairs Intern - Summer 2016
Alexander Miceli is a summer Government Affairs Intern at CAIR-Chicago. He is a graduate of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University where he majored in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Security. Alexander is proficient in Modern Standard Arabic and will be attending the University of Chicago in the fall in pursuit of a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies. After graduation, he hopes to become a Foreign Service Officer. Alexander became interested in CAIR as a high school student on the West Side of Chicago when he saw first-hand the vital services CAIR was providing to the Muslim community, especially in a post 9/11 America.
Solomon Collins
Communications Intern - Spring 2016
Solomon Collins is a sophomore at Loyola University of Chicago who cherishes optimism, cross-cultural tolerance and a global perspective. He bonded with CAIR’s goals and was excited to dive into the mission. He triple majors in Economics, International Relations and Journalism and likes writing his analysis of global conflicts. Solomon aims to write for and create engaging multi-media content for firms within his areas of study. If not studying game-changers in his industry, Solomon is most likely translating Spanish literature or scouring the Internet for new music. Provide your language of choice and he is happy to give suggestions!
Mandie Czech
Communications Intern - Spring 2016
Mandie Czech is a senior at Southern New Hampshire University majoring in Psychology. Her minor is Sociology. She is part of Psi Chi (Psychology) honor society. She first heard of CAIR while doing research for college classes. Her strong interest in Middle Eastern history and Islam grew during her sophomore year of college. She was drawn to CAIR by its cause and intellectual atmosphere. Her goal is to work as a researcher in the University system examining the role of religion, primarily Islam on people’s lives and choices. A second goal is to write successful screenplays documenting the human condition.
Aleksandra Dyszkant
Civil Rights Intern- Spring 2016
Aleksandra Dyszkant is in her final year of studying Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She will be attending law school the fall of 2017 in the hopes of perusing International Law. She has always been an activist for equality that is why she feel blessed to be a part of the CAIR-Chicago team. Ultimately she would like to represent our nation as a diplomat ranked as an ambassador to sign off treaties and laws to protect individuals from discrimination.
Megan Zacher
Outreach Intern – Winter/Spring '16
Megan Zacher is a Winter 2016 Outreach intern at CAIR-Chicago. She is a senior at Loyola University Chicago where she is double majoring in International Studies and French. Megan was drawn to CAIR-Chicago by the welcoming, inspiring atmosphere of the organization as well as the opportunity to learn about and make a difference in the Chicago Muslim community. In the current state of international affairs, Megan believes CAIR’s mission to fight bigotry and promote tolerance is indispensable and is thrilled to be a part of it. She hopes to someday work for a human rights non-for-profit organization as a program director. When she is not studying or interning, Megan enjoys travelling, baking, and jogging along the lake.
Liqa Affaneh
Government Affairs Intern – Fall ’15, Winter/Spring '16
Liqa Affaneh is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She is a newly intern at CAIR CHICAGO for the Fall 2015 semester for the Government Affairs department. She is an aspiring law student finishing off her last year of undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, majoring in political science. The reason she chose CAIR is because she truly believes that she can be given the tools and expertise that adhere to her career goals in order to grow professionally. A few of her professional interests include local and state politics as well as civic engagement.
Tsedenya Bizani
Government Affairs Extern – Fall ’15, Winter/Spring 16
Tsedenya Bizani is a Fall Outreach Extern at CAIR-Chicago. She is a recent graduate from the University of Kansas and acquired degrees in Political Science and International Studies supplemented with a Middle East Studies minor. She chose to be involved with CAIR due to its multilayered purpose to bring awareness, represent, and defend victims of intolerance and believes it is one of the most effective non-profits serving the Muslim population today. CAIR fits her personal and professional goals as it emphasizes a community oriented culture that pushes its members to utilize and advance their talents to bring about tangible change. Tsedenya enjoys binge watching Bollywood films, traveling, and learning about different cultures.