Get Involved!

Meet Our Yalla Vote Field Interns

Amir Eustice is a senior student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studying Near Eastern studies and Arabic literature. He recently returned from Cairo, Egypt, where he studied Arabic for two academic terms at the Arabic Language Institute at the American University of Cairo. He has previously studied Arabic in Tangiers, Morocco. Hearing Dr. James Zogby speak about presidential election campaign issues in Cairo last April inspired Amir to become involved with the Yalla Vote Campaign and learn more about his Arab American community. Amir grew up in a tightly-knit community of Coptic Egyptian Americans in the Detroit suburbs and remains an active volunteer in his church’s community activities. He is thrilled to interact with Michigan’s larger Arab American community and hopes to unite its various groups to make their voice heard on the national level.

Samar Alhinnawi is from sunny Los Angeles. She recently graduated from California State University of Northridge with a degree in Political Science. Now she is ready to apply her knowledge and assist the Arab American community in making the right decision in the 2008 elections. Samar is thrilled to be a field organizer for AAI’s Anaheim Yalla Vote campaign. For Samar, joining the “Yalla Vote” campaign is something very personal, because it will enable her to directly reach out to her community. She points out that 2008 is a turning point in our nation’s history, and no one said it better than Dr. Jim Zogby “We need to vote, like our life depends on it, because it does.” Our voice has to be heard and echoed. She looks forward to working with the Anaheim community!

Matt Ellias is the Field Organizer for the New York City branch of the Arab American Institute’s “Yalla Vote” Campaign. Matt is honored and excited to be working for an organization led by James Zogby, who has been such an inspiration to politically interested members of the Arab American community. Matt is a political creature by nature, feels a special connection to his community, and is looking forward to becoming a more active member of both the Arab American community, as well as the community of politically active Americans at large. In the pluralist political system that governs these United States, Matt is excited to be an active participant, for it is in large part the political process itself that makes this country great.

Matt was immersed in the Arab American community from birth due to his father’s vocation as an Antiochian Orthodox Priest, and has had the honor of knowing some truly great Arab Americans from the various church communities he has been a part of and has been connected to. Matt has seen the strength and efficacy of tightly knit Arab American communities working in concert with one another, and hopes to break down the superficial barriers that divide segments of the Arab American population to allow the Arab American community at large to control its own destiny through voting. Matt brings enthusiasm, creativity, and relentless hustle to the “Yalla Vote” campaign, and is proud to be a representative of the Arab American Institute.

Nadia Zaiem is a junior at Case Western Reserve University studying Political Science, Spanish, and Arabic. She has lived in Cleveland her entire life and is looking forward to working with the Arab American community here as a part of the Yalla Vote Campaign. Nadia hopes that throughout her time working as the Field Organizer here in Cleveland she can encourage more Arab-Americans, young and old, to become involved in the political process so that as a community our voices can be heard and the issues important to us addressed.

Mia Kamal is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, pursuing an M.A. in Mass Communication. She graduated from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York in 2004 with a B.A. in Psychology. At St. John’s, Mia participated in Arab Students United and the Muslim Students Association, and was an active fan of the St. John’s Red Storm Basketball Team. Mia also interned with the New York City Police Department as an auxiliary police officer and volunteered as a youth mentor through campus ministry.

Mia’s earliest experience with unifying the Arab American community for change was through the Palestine Media Watch organization, where she began writing letters to media outlets and elected officials, encouraging them to pay attention to and report fairly on Palestinian issues. Mia’s experience in leadership covers many aspects, from being captain of several sports teams, to managing projects, to mentoring youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.

More recently, Mia worked for a non-profit specializing in community change and growth, empowering urban families. She has also helped students at the Delaware campus of Widener University School of Law develop and expand their Muslim Students Association in conjunction with Muslim students at the Harrisburg campus of Widener.