EMILY ZELL

After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in American Social History, Emily’s path diverged to the international. She moved to Uganda to work with a small community-based organization. While there, her field work took her to the remote fishing villages along Lake Victoria to address issues of HIV/AIDS awareness, education, economic advancement, and agricultural sustainability. Needless to say, the experience was varied, which led her to then pursue her masters in the wide reaching field of human rights. She chose the American University in Cairo to gain exposure to a part of the world that was foreign to her; Egypt now feels like home as much as anywhere. Emily is an AUC Merit fellow, represented AUC at the African Human Rights Moot Court, and helped host the 2015 Third World Approaches to International Law conference, the first TWAIL conference to be held in the developing world. Currently, she is writing her thesis on failed states within international law. The opportunity to work with MPV is one she does not take lightly, as a particular passion is to combat the misconceptions and prejudices Muslims face in the U.S. and other non-Islamic majority states. Just a few areas of interest in her work include migration and refugee rights, women’s rights, disability rights, and the rights of detainees. She firmly believes that education and exposure are the keys to leading a tolerant, fascinating, and full life.