I am Ala’a Abhari from Palestine, a second year student studying human rights and international law at Al-Quds Bard college. I am the leader of the Human Rights newsletter initiative in my college, which gets me and my colleagues to share human rights violations internationally and in Palestine, not only for students who major in Human Rights but also for other majors, because I believe that human rights are for everyone. Also, it encourages the students to share their voices, as I am looking forward to collaborating with other initiatives to share those issues through students’ voices.

I am passionate about volunteering and helping my community as I believe that we need to give back to the community. I am looking forward to creating a space where I can express myself, as I encourage anyone around me to say what they want to say and express themselves, especially those whose voices are weak, I wish to get their voices heard with no fear. Also, I Finished my internship in the Environmental Justice course at Al-Haq organization, which pushed me to learn a lot about the ecocides that mostly occurred in Palestine because of the occupation, and got my attention to the small issues that might have a part in those ecocides. I believe that it is a necessity for everyone to have the right to express their identity without being afraid to do so.