Hometown: Homs, Syria / Toledo, Ohio

Research interests: Women and gender equality, the Levant; cultural diversity, class struggle, social and economic development, Syrian Refugees around the world, and Integration in America and Europe.

Elena lived in Homs, Syria, and Baalbek, Lebanon, with her half-Syrian, half-Lebanese parents and only sister. Elena Graduated Cum Laude from the University of Toledo, where she majored in Business and Middle East Studies, minored in Arabic Language, and got her certificate in Intercultural competence. Throughout her undergraduate career, Elena has focused on women's rights and equality in the MENA region and presented at two international conferences in 2022. Elena has been an active American Red Cross Blood Drive Ambassador for 5 Years in Northern Ohio Region. In Early 2023, Elena traveled to Germany and conducted independent research about the struggle of female Syrian refugees in Germany. Elena receives Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Scholarship at the MAAS Program for 2023-2024. As an Arab American in her field, she aims to gain more tools to further her education and research to increase awareness of some significant MENA topics.