Meet MGA Students

Niloofar Adnani holds a BSc in mechanical engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology. She also has completed graduate-level coursework in women’s studies at Allameh Tabataba’i University. While volunteering for various nongovernmental organizations, Niloofar developed analytical skills and gained an understanding of intersectional oppression and structural inequality. She has organized educational camps for students in underserved parts of Iran, raised funds for school construction projects, and supported the production of handicrafts by the Baluchi people, a nomadic minority group. She also is an active translator for Harasswatch, an Iran-based group that aims to mitigate the normalization of harassment and assault in public spaces. Niloofar’s first goal as a socialist feminist and graduate student is to stand against discrimination. She is the recipient of a Riberas Orjales Family Fellowship.

Belén Carriedo graduated cum laude from Washington State University with BA degrees in criminal justice and sociology. Driven by a passion to serve, she interned at Hospicio de Huerfano in Costa Rica; the Centre for Social Action in Bangalore, India; and at Good Neighbors in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. More recently she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji, where she worked as a community youth development organizer. In Fiji she conducted several Let Girls Learn initiatives, including a Take Back the Night event to raise awareness of gender-based violence. Belén is captivated by the power of women’s participation and engagement as a catalyst for change. She is fluent in Spanish and iTaukei, a native language of Fiji, and is a recipient of a Coca-Cola Global Affairs Fellowship.

Feature: Retracing the route to freedom