Multiracial Heritage Month
Multiracial Leadership Courses
The Mildred & Richard Loving Award
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Ghonva Ghauri is the Coordinator for Multiracial and Native American/Indigenous Student Involvement and Advocacy at the Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA).
She is an interdisciplinary artist and psychological anthropologist. Ghonva is a UMD Alumna; she received her B.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in oil painting and also completed the Pre-Medical Track. She earned her M.A. in Medical Anthropology from the George Washington University, with a focus on mental health and identity-formation within adolescents, especially those from immigrant communities. As a second-generation South Asian American Muslim woman, she is passionate about uplifting women of color, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and creating discussion around stigmatized topics. In her academic work, Ghonva conducted ethnographies on the ethnoreligious identities of South Asian American youth and on the identity maintenance of Muslim women practicing unorthodox sexuality. Ghonva is determined to break the cyclic violence of community-wide silences around stigmatized issues—like mental illness or physical & emotional abuses—that undoubtedly affect mental wellness. She is a firm believer in empathetic listening practices and the power of storytelling, especially when exploring a diaspora. Her research interests include: intersectional feminism; sexuality and cultural gender roles; ethnoreligious identities; intergenerational trauma; empathy and narratives; hybrid identity negotiations; and mental wellness in children of immigrants in the US. In her free time, Ghonva likes to eat cheese, teach herself new art mediums, read feminist philosophy, and record a podcast! Contact at: gghauri@umd.edu
Savannah Gaines is the Community Outreach Student Intern for Multi/Biracial Involvement. She is a senior Government & Politics and Economics double degree seeker, with a certificate in Women's Studies and Chinese Minor. On campus, she is a trumpet player in the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band, president of the Multiracial Biracial Student Association, co-president of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, co-internal vice president for the Asian American Student Union, and PR chair for Triota Women's Studies Honor Society. She loves bubble tea, astrology, and playing with her two cats. Contact at: savannahgaines50@gmail.com.
Please feel free to reach out to us at mica-contact@umd.edu or at 301-314-8600