Join us for TEDxUMBC 2020: Unmasking Uncertainty, an afternoon with 10 speakers from the UMBC Community. Registration is required to attend.

These speakers include (in no particular order): 

• Sahara Ali (she/her/hers), a dreamer and intellectualist, hails from Pakistan and came to the US to pursue her PhD in Information Systems at UMBC. She is a Computer Science graduate by qualification and a Data Scientist, collaborating with NASA, by profession. She prefers working on ideas and technologies that open doors for innovation and inter-disciplinary research. Apart from scribbling code and spoiling logics, she sometimes cooks stories too. She is a Rumi-follower and her life's journey, so far, is full of bumpy rides and magical moments. 
• Rojin Najmabadi (she/her/hers), class of ‘21, is an undergraduate student at UMBC. She was born in Iran and moved to Maryland at the age of seven.
• Karis Barnett (she/her/hers), class of '21, is a chemistry major and creative writing minor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is a proud member of the Meyerhoff Scholars, U-RISE, and Honors College UMBC communities. She has served in leadership in UMBC’s Cru chapter and American Chemical Society chapter. Karis plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry or nuclear science and work as a national laboratory research scientist. A few things important to Karis include her Christian faith, poetry writing, and metalcore music.
• Mike Spano (he/him/his), class of ‘21, is studying psychology with a minor in philosophy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He is an URA scholar, Merit scholar, and 2x URCAD presenter (2020 and 2021). Has presented research on the neuro-facets of dissociative REM atonia as part of graduate course work at Harvard University’s Extension School. He has also held leadership roles as President of NRHH, President of UMBC Rotaract, and Vice President of Lambda Chi Alpha. He has worked on-campus with his experience as a SI PASS leader and a Writing Fellow for the Psychology Department. He is a research assistant at the Children and Families, Schooling & Development Lab and Doctor Troy Steiner’s lab both at UMBC. He has also been a part of student orgs such as UMBC Ice Hockey, Psi Chi and SABAS. He is pursuing a future in psychology with dreams of studying dreams.
• Evangeline Kirigua (she/her), class of ‘21, is a political science student at UMBC’s Shady Grove campus. Her family moved to the United States 18 years ago, and she is the mother of two grown children. She speaks French, German, and is in the process of learning Spanish.
• Haleemat Adekoya (she/her/hers), class of ‘23, is a Nigerian-American lifestyle content creator, author, and students based in Baltimore, Maryland. She is currently a Political Science major pursuing an Elementary Education Certificate as a Sherman Scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Haleemat as of May 2020, self-published her first book called 'The Art of Transformation: A Faith Infused Self-Care Guide' (can be found on amazon). Her passions run deep with their foundations being in education, advocacy, and content creation. With an aspiration for educating children and advocating for their unique wants and needs, she desires to create avenues to help individuals become their best selves. If she is not scrolling through Pinterest to create her next vision board, you can find her volunteering in her community, or spending time with friends and family. Her desire is to continuously create spaces where people can feel empowered to dare to be their best self.
• John Hebeler (he/him/his) is an adjunct professor at UMBC after receiving his PhD with his grandson at the graduation ceremony. He has years of experience with professional, pragmatic development of big data and machine learning systems as a Lockheed Martin Fellow.
• Zareen Taj (she/her/hers) is a PhD student at UMBC in the Language, Literacy and Culture program, and a full-time employee with the Shriver Center at UMBC. She is an activist for women’s rights and human rights, and an advocate for immigrant communities. She has worked continuously to promote women’s rights and immigrant’s rights and has attended numerous conferences, given speeches and mentored refugees in the U.S. She has played a major role in establishing connections between refugees and service providers. She has eighteen years of experience mentoring and assisting refugees in Maryland. She was the first Afghan woman who visited five massacre sites and interviewed the survivors of the Taliban Massacre and produced a video documentary about her journey. She also made a trip to Afghanistan to research about the empowerment of Afghan women. She is the author of a book called Journey to Empowerment: Women After Taliban, and the author of numerous opinion articles about Afghanistan.
• Maryam Elhabashy (she/her/hers), class of ‘21, is studying anthropology and biology on a pre-medical track. She has served on the E-Boards of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students and Bartleby, UMBC's Creative Arts Journal. She currently serves as president of UMBC's Anthropology Club. This will be her third year presenting at URCAD; and this year she was named a URA Scholar for her anthropological research project, "Cupping and Wellness Among Muslim Women Living in America." This summer she will conduct research at the NIH as an Amgen Scholar. Maryam hopes that as a future doctor and anthropologist, she can continue to open and inspire pathways of understanding to holistically treat increasingly diverse patient populations.
• Asif Majid (he/him/his), class of ‘13, is a scholar-artist-educator who works at the intersection of Islam, media, marginality, and politics, particularly through community-based participatory theatre. He has a PhD in Anthropology, Media, and Performance from The University of Manchester, an MA in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University, and a self-designed BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from UMBC. Currently, he is a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow with the San Francisco Arts Commission, and can be found online at www.asifmajid.com.

We hope to see you there!