Fellows, Graduate and Alumni

FMRS Fellows

The following students were granted fellowships during their study for the FMRS graduate diploma:

George Fahmy (Egypt), Fall 2005, Ford foundation:
Fahmy is a lawyer who graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Alexanderia in 2003. He was accepted as an FMRS fellow on a partial basis where FMRS covered half of his tuition. He was a part-time student and he graduated as of spring 2007. During his study with us, he was offered a job as Eligibility Assistant in the Protection Unit at the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees Cairo Office (UNHCR).

Mai Mahmoud (Egypt), Fall 2005, Ford foundation:
Mahmoud is a Protection Assistant Officer at the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees Cairo Office (UNHCR). She is an AUC graduate who acquired her M.A. in professional development/political science in 2004. Her M.A. thesis entitled “Refugee Assistance and the Impediments to Self-Reliance: A Case Study of Refugees in Egypt” focused on development potential for refugees in Cairo. Mahmoud finished the three required FMRS courses and graduated in spring 2006.

Assad Khalid Saleh (Egypt), Fall 2005, Ford foundation:
Saleh works with Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), Egypt. He joined the FMRS diploma program in fall 2005 on a full time basis and he finished the diploma requirements and graduated in spring 2006. Saleh was among our four students who were awarded a conference grant from AUC to present their papers at the 4th Annual Forced Migration Post-Graduate students conference at the University of East London. He presented a paper entitled "Sudanese Demonstration in Cairo: Different Stands and Different opinions." he also presented along with the three other students, the same paper in one of our wednesday weekly seminars. Salih is currently finishing the requirement for an MA in International Human Rights Law at AUC.

Sarah Hany Sadek (Egypt), Fall 2005, Ford foundation:
Sadek receieved a part-time fellowship and graduated in fall 06. After finishing the FMRS Diploma, she traveled to England to develop her diploma into an MA through our partnership with the University of East London. As of August 2007 she will be working with FMRS in the preparation for the upcoming conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) that will be held in Cairo in January 2008. Prior to her travel to England and during her study for the diploma, Sara was employed as FMRS Research Assistant in our collaborative research project with Sussex University and was the coordinator of Cairo to Camps, an Arab Youth Solidarity Project with Palestinian Refugees.

Dan Stoenescu (Romania), Spring 2006, Ford foundation:
Stoenescu has a B.A. in International Studies from Austin College, USA and M.A. in Globalization and Development from Warwick University in the UK. He has and excellent experience in research and has already a number of publications. He previously lived in Egypt when he was an intern with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) offices in Cairo. Stoenescu received a full scholarship and graduated in fall 2006.

Konul Zamanova (Azerbaijan), Spring 2006, Ford foundation:
Zamanova has a B.A. in translation/linguistics from the University of Azerbaijani in 2003. Prior to her coming to Cairo, she worked as a counselor for durable solutions in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan. She used to conduct registration interviews for refugees and person of concerns to determine their protection needs. She was admitted in the FMRS diploma program on a full-time basis in spring 2006 and graduated in spring 2007.

FMRS Diploma Graduates 2007/2008

The following is a group of students who finished the requirements of the Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies and graduated during the academic year 2007/2008:

Spring 2008
Amoding Deborah Oluke (Uganda)
Dalia Adel Malek (Egypt)
Emilie Kristen Minnick (USA)
Mark Kerim Tschirgi (Canada)
Natalie Irene Forcier (USA)
Sarah Adel Stefanos (Egypt)
Steven Matthew Murray (USA)
Ted Andrew Oswald (USA)

Fall 2007
Catherine Wambui Njoroge (Kenya)
Jutta Frida Gravesen (Germany)
Karin Mirna Fernandez (Canada)
Maysa Abbas Ayoub (Egypt)
Mia Gauthier (Canada)
Nida Mariam Ghouse (India)
Naglaa Abdel Bary Abou Srea (Egypt)
Shereen Atef Salem (Egypt)

CMRS congratulates all of them and wishes them success and personal satisfaction in their future careers. Viviana Mazza is now Sub-Editor at the Foreign Affairs desk of Corriere della Sera, one of the largest Italian daily newspapers in Italy. Mathew Lewis traveled to England to pursue an M.A. in Refugee Studies from Oxford University. Assad Khalid continues to work for Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) and has started his MA in International Human Rights Law at AUC. Felecia Lindsey is interning with the Resettlement Department at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Cairo office (UNHCR). Mai Mahmoud continues to work as a Protection Assistant Officer at UNHCR Cairo. And Emily Eidenier continues to provide her invaluable support as FMRS Library Specialist at the AUC Main Library.

Alumni News

FMRS Alumni did not lose touch with FMRS. They always inform us of their academic and professional development. Here is the news of some of our exceptional Alumni who are still in contact with us:

Iman Ahmed (2002) 
After earning her Diploma, Iman worked for three years with immigrants and newcomers in Canada. She was part of a research team from the University of Toronto, Culture, Community and Health Studies Department and completed The Study of Sudanese Settlement in Ontario. She then went on to work in the positions of UNHCR Public Health Officer in Tindouf, Algeria and UNHCR Health/Nutrition/HIV Officer in Liberia. The operation focused on Repatriation and Reintegration of Liberians. Currently, Iman is the UNHCR Regional Epidemic Preparedness and Response Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa, based in Cairo. She is now working towards her MA in Migration and Refugee Studies at CMRS.  Iman feels that the knowledge she gained on the humanitarian challenges helped her to contribute positively while working in post-war Liberia.  She also feels the experiences through CMRS have been very useful, as it has broadened her scope and enabled her to take a rights-based approach in her work with refugees, immigrants and also returnees. 

Stancil Campbell (2003)
Stancil is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Performing & Visual Arts at AUC. For many years he has served on the steering committee of the St. Andrew's Refugee Services in Cairo. In conjunction with AUC and St. Andrew's Refugee Services, Stancil has taught refugee drama classes. These weekly classes were held throughout the Spring 2008 semester in Howard Theatre on the AUC Main Campus.

Emily Eidenier (2006)
Emily is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill in the U.S.  The work she did during her studies for the FMRS diploma helped her decide to pursue further study in public health and policy-work, including an interest in how to increase the involvement of refugees and other communities in shaping the policies that impact their lives.

Hebah H Farrag (2006)
Hebah is currently working in Los Angeles, California as the Associate Director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement at the University of Southern California. She is also the Programs, Partnerships and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation. Hebah is one of 20 emerging Muslim leaders involved in the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. She also continues to write on issues concerning Forced Migration and hopes to return to school to continue studies in the field of migration. Hebah feels that the diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies of AUC has “without a doubt enhanced her work.”

Natalie Forcier (2008)
Natalie served as the teaching assistant for the CMRS Core course ‘Introduction to Migration and Refugee Studies.’  After earning her forced diploma in migration and refugee studies, Natalie continued with CMRS working on a ground-breaking research entitled: “Invisible Youth: A Study of Identity and Violence among Young Sudanese Men in Cairo.” The research explored the root causes forcing young Sudanese men to assert themselves in forge a new identity based on hip-hop culture and membership in informal social networks as well as the underlying causes for a smaller portion of the young men to engage in violent and criminal activities. After completing her research, Natalie founded a program entitled ‘The Youth LEAD Project’ which directly addresses the needs of Sudanese youth as found in her research.

Tori Hogan (2005)
After completing the diploma in FMRS, Tori continued studies at Harvard University and in June 2008, she graduated with a Masters degree in International Education Policy. In the future, she intends to start her own social enterprise. Currently, she is working as the filmmaker and producer of a unique 10-episode web-series called "Beyond Good Intentions." The series was shot in ten different countries over the course of a year, and it highlights some of the most innovate and effective approaches to aid. The project was inspired in large part by interactions at AUC, particularly through critical discussions about the realities of aid with Professor Barbara Harrell-Bond. Tori is hopeful that the series will stimulate a much-needed dialogue about aid, particularly among young people. The Beyond Good Intentions series will premiere in late February 2009 and will be available at www.beyondgoodintentions.org. 

Cyrena Khoury (2005)
Cyrena is currently working as a Policy Advisor in the Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She works predominantly on immigration issues, such as refugee and asylum policy, state and local enforcement of immigration law, and electronic employment eligibility verification systems. In addition, she is working on various Arab/Muslim/South Asian civil rights concerns.

Themba Lewis (2006)
After completing the diploma at AUC, Themba went on to receive a Masters degree in Forced Migration from the University of Oxford, where he wrote his dissertation on Sudanese refugees in Cairo.  He is currently serving as the project manager at the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants at the Faculty of Law at Sofia University in Bulgaria.  At the legal clinic, he teaches courses in refugee and human rights law and oversees the provision of free legal aid to refugees and migrants in Bulgaria. Themba also continues to pursue an avid interest in events and developments surrounding migrants and refugees in Egypt. He relays that his passion for his work is rooted in the experience he had at AUC and he credits CMRS for where he is today. 
 
Emilie Minnick (2008)
After completing her diploma, Emilie has gone on to continue work towards an MA with CMRS. Her plans are to conduct research in Amman and Cairo on the issue of Iraqi community formation.  She has already begun qualitative research on Iraqi refugees for CMRS. In addition to academics, Emilie is currently serving as the president of the Student Action for Refugees or STAR.  This involves coordinating volunteers and classes that serve refugees in a variety of ways. 

Mai Mahmoud (2006)
Mai is currently serving as an Assistant Protection Officer, UNHCR Cairo.

Sarah Sadek (2006)
After graduating with a diploma in refugee issues from AUC, Sarah obtained an MA from the University of East London. Her MA thesis focused on the experience of selected Iraqi women in UK. From August 2007-January 2008, she worked as the local coordinator of the 11th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration, hosted by CMRS 6-10 January 2008. From February 2008-Fall 2008, Sarah worked as a researcher for the large-scale quantitative study on Iraqis in Egypt.  

Dan Stoenescu (2007)
Dan is currently a Third Secretary diplomat in the Middle East and Africa Division of the Romanian Foreign Ministry. In 2008, he finished his PhD in Political Science at the University of Bucharest.  Dan feels that the experiences that came out of studies in FMRS helped him in his current diplomatic career and with his PhD research.

Sarah Stefanos (2008)
Sarah is currently working as a research assistant in the Law Department and as an editor at the Turgoman International Media Company. After graduation, she presented the paper "Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights in Small Pacific Island States: How Liberalized Migration Can Be a Human Rights 'Win-Win' for Tuvalu, Kiribati and New Zealand,” at the United Nations University Environment and Human Security Division's conference "Environment, Forced Migration an Social Vulnerability" in Bonn, Germany. 

Rica Terbeck (2007)
Since graduating, she worked for one year with the UNHCR in Mauritania and currently is employed by UNRWA in Jordan. 

Konul Zamanova (2007)
After her return to Azerbaijan, Konul accepted a post at the UNHCR Baku office. In this post, she used the experience and knowledge obtained through her studies at FMRS. In a few months, Konul is expecting her first child and looks forward to this new adventure.

Annie Dumont (2005)
Annie was hired as a research assistant for the UN Representative to the Secretary General for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and is planning to attend Howard University to obtain an LLM in International Law.

Sulemana Bangna Abdul-Karim (2005)
After completing the FMRS graduate diploma, Sulemana pursued his M.A. in Political Science Professional Development at AUC. His thesis examined the private sector participation in the provision of primary education in Ghana. He graduated in December 2005 and is planning to reproduce the thesis report for distribution to concerned stakeholders like the government of Ghana and key stakeholders in education such as UNESCO, USAID/Ghana, and some national and international NGOs. This year, Sulemana has been accepted at Sussex University in Brighton, England to pursue his PhD in Education.

Cyrena Khoury (2005)
After completing her FMRS Graduate Diploma and her M.A. in Sociology at AUC, Cyrena left to Syria where she finished an intensive Arabic language Master's program at the University of Damascus. During her study in Damascus, she also volunteered part-time with UNHCR.

Derek Maxfield (2005)
Maxfield received his M.A. in Political Science from AUC with a focus on refugee issues where his thesis studied the difficulties of local integration of refugees in Egypt. During his study at AUC, he also interned at the UNHCR office in Cairo. Upon completing his graduate studies, he went back to Washington DC where he currently works as a case manager in an agency called the Center for Multicultural Human Services that receives and offers help to refugees resettled in the U.S. He is mostly responsible for helping Sudanese refugees because of the ability to speak Arabic he gained while in Egypt. Currently he is also running a program at the agency which is funded by numerous foundations including the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the UNDP. The program is called “self-sufficiency” and he supervises nine staff including case managers, an attorney and therapists. He values the experience he acquired at FMRS/AUC as indicated in the following quotation:
"I have a unique perspective because 90% of the Refugees here come through UNHCR and are those same refugees that i used to see living in Kilo 4 1/2 and standing outside the UNHCR office all day. I value the experiences i gained in Egypt and lam looking for a reason to come back to expand the services for refugees under the FMRS program. I have a family now, and i want to bring them to Egypt for a few years to live the unique experience i lived."

George Zumba (2005)
After completing his FMRS Graduate diploma, he worked with refugees in Tanzania and from there he left to study the European Master's degree in International Humanitarian Action at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Mohamed Berray (2005)
Berray completed his MA in Political Science with specialization in Professional Development. He recently conducted field research in Sierra Leone and did an assessment of the challenges to aid coordination and aid effectiveness in the reconstruction of post-conflict societies, taking Sierra Leone as a case study.