PhD student in Urban and Regional Planning. Her research focuses on the intersection of transnational migration, market dynamics, and urban development, particularly in housing access and land commodification. Specifically, I adopt an African feminist perspective to analyze the impact of transnational migration on Accra's urbanization, specifically within the framework of the "Year of Return" initiative.

Asmaa Elsyed is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the College of Education. She is a committed human rights advocate and has served on the Illinois Scholars at Risk Program Executive Committee, supporting scholars facing threats to their academic freedom and safety. Asmaa’s teaching and research center on emancipatory and transformative lifelong learning, with a focus on healing, resilience, and holistic well-being for minority women. 

The recipient of the Due and Ferber award for 2023-24 is Anissa Chitwanga. She is a PhD in social work and her thesis is titled “Narratives of distress & coping: A qualitative study of the experiences and perspectives of women in Blesser/Slay Queen relationships in sub-Saharan Africa”. 

PhD in Architecture. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Ongoing from 2019Master of Urban Design. School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, India. 2018 Bachelor of Architecture. Piloo Mody College of Architecture, India. 2013 

Nehal Elmeligy is a Sociology PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds an MA in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. She was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt where she earned her BA in English literature. 

Rachita Rana (Global Studies in Education) is a PhD student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Rachita’s research seeks to examine the impact of forest conservation policies on the Gaddi transhumant pastoral communities living in the Indian Himalayan villages to understand the social-economic, cultural and policy barriers to education access for girls in this pastoral community.