Serene Kombargi graduated magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a double major in political science and anthropology, and minors in Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and North African studies, and Latin American, Iberian, and Latina/o studies. She was raised in Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, and is Lebanese, Palestinian, and American.

Her undergraduate research explored transnational identity, digital mobilization, and cultural expression across the MENA and Latin America. Her political science thesis examined social media’s role in the 2011 and 2019 Arab uprisings, while her anthropology thesis investigated national identity through Philadelphia’s immigrant soccer tournament, the Philadelphia Unity Cup. Her broader research interests include Levantine diasporic communities in Latin America, Spain-MENA relations, cultural diplomacy, refugee and migration studies, and the anthropology of sport and food.

Serene has held communications roles at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon and with the NGO Good Neighbors in Santiago, Chile. As an English Language and Culture Assistant in Seville, Spain through the NALCAP program, she deepened her interest in education and intercultural exchange. She is excited to further pursue her research interests at CCAS and aspires to work with Arab cultural institutions in Washington D.C. In her free time, she enjoys making music and drinking Arabic coffee.