Sumaira Ahammed is a first year MA student who has interests in postcolonial and vernacular literature that analyzes critical theories through the lens of ethnic, racial, and gender identity. Being a first generation American daughter of Bengali immigrant parents, she is attuned to the South Asian diaspora in the United States and their narratives of struggle and oppression which traverses the political climate in both the East and the West. Being a young woman of color, Sumaira is also keen about the theories of third-wave feminism which emphasizes the importance of intersectionality and the interconnectedness of xenophobia, racism, and classism and the inclusion of rights for all marginalized women.
Sumaira hopes to pursue a career in higher education administration to help working class students of color feel better immersed in their pursuit of postsecondary education by improving policies that handle racial and sexual violence on school campuses. She also hopes to lend a hand in the undoing of whitewashing English departments across academia by advocating for courses revolving race and gender theories to be a part of the core curriculum rather than recommended electives.