Meet Awad Awad, a first-generation, low-income, neurodivergent student and proud Palestinian-American global critical intercultural citizen. He embraces numerous multi-layered identities and strives to be the friend, mentor, teacher, and administrator he wished he had. Awad holds a Master’s in Arabic from UCLA, with research interests spanning from Abbasid Baghdad, literary translation, and culinary history to Israel/Palestine, intercultural communication, multilingualism, and cultural centers. If you have a question about Arabic, Middle Eastern affairs, or food, he likely has the answer—or knows where to find it!
Post-9/11, Awad’s been on a mission to make the world a bit more enlightened and a lot more connected. He's built and expanded Arabic programs from California to Georgia and established study abroad partnerships across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus. Currently, he's the inaugural director of the Salaam Middle East and North Africa Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Stop by or reach out to collaborate over a cup of homemade Saudi-style light roast cardamom coffee, Persian extra bergamot black tea, Moroccan mint-tea-flavored sugar, or Adeni chai karak.
After being a stay-at-home mom for several years, Kimberly began working at the Macon County U of I Extension Office as the 4-H “secretary” back in 2002. She developed a passion for youth and continued to work within 4-H programming for several years. She feels lucky to have seen the 4-H program grow from a rural-based program to a more modern and diverse program promoting equal access and opportunities for all youth. After her children were grown, Kimberly eventually transferred to the Urbana-Champaign campus in 2017 where she has continued to assist with student programming.
Over the years, Kimberly has been very active or led organizations which support youth and promote youth leadership in her community such as 4-H, FFA, music boosters, athletic boosters, as well as helping to create scholarship opportunities in local organizations.
Kimberly has two adult human children, two cat-children, and many student nieces and nephews.
Majda Layek is a dynamic Cultural Content developer at Salaam's MENA Cultural Center whose work is deeply informed by her multicultural journey and her keen interest in the intersection of language, culture, and identity.
Born and raised in Morocco, with its rich tapestry of Amazigh, Arab, and French influences, Majda's early life was a vibrant fusion of cultures. Her move to the United States further sparked her profound curiosity about the nature of bilingual and multicultural identities. As a double Master's degree holder in Linguistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Majda's research delves into the intriguing phenomenon of how bilinguals may possess distinct personalities tied to each of their languages. Her work explores the hypothesis that speaking different languages can lead to the development of new facets of self, a concept she finds both academically fascinating and personally resonant.
As an instructor for multiple years, Majda views language instruction not just as a transfer of linguistic knowledge, but as a gateway to new ways of thinking and being. She pioneered cross-curricular initiatives that went beyond traditional language teaching, and created immersive cultural experiences that challenged students to step into different cultural mindsets, fostering not just language proficiency but also a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Arab cultures.
Majda is deeply involved in community initiatives that promote cross-cultural dialogue. She often shares her personal story of cultural adaptation and linguistic journey, inspiring others to embrace the transformative power of cross cultural learning.
Mohammad is from Beirut, Lebanon and joined UIUC to pursue my Ph.D. In Civil and Environmental Engineering. Outside of work, he enjoys biking, working out, and is currently learning how to DJ. His role at Salaam is to increase its visibility among students and staff in addition to help in organizing events which can extend our impact beyond campus. He's very excited to be part of Salaam and hopes to see it grow and thrive!
Modje Taavon is a doctoral student in the Department of Comparative + World Literature and the Program for Medieval Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has a BA in Anthropology from UCLA and a MA in English Literature from Cal State Northridge. Her research focuses on medieval and early modern Persian, Arabic, and English advice literature, and its participation in political and ethical debates. She is also interested in European and Islamicate manuscript studies, the art and archaeology of the Near and Middle East, and translation studies.
Born and raised in Iran, Zahra is currently a PhD candidate of comparative and world literature at the University of Illinois. Coming from a small city, her interest hovers around “minority” as defining, yet liquid concept. Having done her BA and MA in English literature, she finds comparative literature her tool to overcome set binaries including but not limited to East/West. Her research focuses on imagology, stereotypes, and (mis)representations of the Middle Easterners through their literatures in comparison with the Western world. In her work, she specifically targets the interconnectedness of Persian and Arab worlds and their link to the rest of the world in a larger context from various societal, cultural and political aspects.
In addition to the academic pursuit, Zahra finds herself most interested in participating in diverse communities that allow a free and open conversation about culture and identity.