I am a Research Assistant for the Iraq Project at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Arab Studies at Georgetown University. I also did my undergraduate studies at Georgetown University and have a BA in Arabic Language and Arab Studies. Besides Iraqi politics which is the main focus of my work at the ISW, I’m also interested in Arab pop culture and resistance, and I’m working on a number of small research projects that focus on Arab film and music in this context. In addition to Georgetown, I’ve also studied at the American School in Tangier, Morocco and at the American University in Cairo, Egypt (AUC), and have traveled extensively throughout the region. Before deciding to return to graduate school this year, I lived in Egypt where I worked at AUC and played soccer for the national team.