Congratulations Asif Majid - Class of 2013 Valedictorian!

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:01:33 -0400

INDS is proud to announce that Asif Majid is UMBC's Class of 2013 Valedictorian! He is the first INDS student to be named valedictorian of a graduating class! We hope you join us in celebrating his awesome achievement!

Here is what the selection committee presented to Dr. Hrabowski:

Asif Majid is a wonderful example of UMBC’s commitment to “produce socially engaged citizens who graduate with the commitment and experience to serve responsibly in their communities, state, and nation.”

An interdisciplinary studies major in Global Peace Building and Conflict Management, Asif’s ongoing inquiry into the nature of human conflict and his search for creative solutions have been a consistent driving force for him both in and out of the classroom. His search to understand and make a difference led him to such diverse experiences as: leading an international summer peace camp for Arab, American and Israeli teenagers in Maine, teaching history and script-writing to middle school students in Minneapolis, leading UMBC students on a an Alternative Spring Break trip focused on homelessness services in Baltimore City, participating in the Model UN Conference at Johns Hopkins, and a year-long study abroad in Morocco.

A gifted scholar, member of the Honor’s College and a Sondheim Scholar, Asif is described by INDS faculty as the “ideal interdisciplinary student.” His studies encompass a vast array of disciplines including Arabic, Anthropology, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Political Science, Geography and Environmental Systems, History, Sociology, and Music. He speaks Arabic and French and has knowledge of Gujarati, Urdu and Spanish. According to Dr. Michael Richards, Professor and Chair of the Department of Music, Asif is also a talented percussionist, whose ability to synthesize diverse information from a variety of disciplines, enables him to think about music on a deep level and develop carefully thought out musical interpretations and technical decisions. Asif’s independent research, which has resulted in two Undergraduate Research Awards and a Boren National Security Scholarship, investigates how the performing arts can be used to facilitate empathy and transform conflict. His capstone projects focuses on transgenerational migration and identity in North Africa and will yield a scholarly paper as well as a Brechtian play confronting the social justice implications of issues related to migration, transnational identity, human rights, sexual harassment, and the Arab Spring, which will be performed at UMBC at URCAD and on May 12th.

Asif is an enthusiastic champion of UMBC and an active contributor to the UMBC community. He has been a tour guide since 2010, a member of the INDS council of majors, a student representative to the Patapsco Hall Addition design team, a member of the UMBC orchestra and leader of the percussion section, and an active volunteer in the INDS Department (for which he will receive this year’s Mary Jo Kleiner Award for Outstanding Service to Interdisciplinary Studies). As Dr. Brigid Starkey from Political Science stated in her letter of support, Asif “has loved his time at UMBC and will be an international ambassador for this campus for the rest of his life.” Asif will pursue a Masters degree in Conflict Resolution at Georgetown University in the fall.