![Er Mariam Al-khafaji](/media/rise/images/Headshot.jpg)
Er Mariam Al-khafaji (she/her) is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Administration at the Wilder School and recently graduated from VCU with a Bachelor’s in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy. She became interested in research and data analysis upon taking Research Methods during her undergraduate experience. She published a paper in her department’s journal, ‘Ramerican,’ on the effect of low socioeconomic status and how it affects voter turnout in the Middle East region. She hopes to use her research and data analysis skills to help advocate for marginalized communities by researching key issues and what policies can be introduced to legislators to better serve the problem. She wants to find ways to use her research to help implement effective and efficient policies while finding solutions to policies that may not have worked previously. Upon earning an MPA, she wants to work as a policy analyst alongside legislators and their staff members to help implement policies promoting social and racial equity. She is also passionate about mental health, education reform, women’s rights, and government transparency. She wrote her Senior Seminar paper on the effect of cultural stigma and level of religiosity on Arab American college students and their willingness to seek out formal mental health services. She is currently working on this ongoing project as she collects data from a survey she created. She also previously interned with Senator Roem and her chief of staff during the 2023 legislative session. Working at the Virginia General Assembly allowed her to understand the importance of state legislation and how much it can directly impact our daily lives.