Arab American Organization

Hello,

My name is Joy Al-Nemri and I graduated from Bard College last May with a degree in Anthropology and concentration in Middle Eastern Studies. I am honored to share that I will be representing Jordan (with Palestine also in my heart) at the 2019 Miss Arab USA pageant on Saturday, January 5th.

For three years, I volunteered as an EMT-Basic on the Bard Emergency Medical Services squad and worked as a Peer Counselor (similar to a Residential Administrator). I also worked a couple years as a Writing Fellow and an Arabic Tutor for the Bard Learning Commons.

In college, I became a leader for campus-wide activism related to the Middle East. I broadened students’ understandings of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through over a dozen campus-wide presentations. I offered these presentations in an effort to inspire a campus-wide dialogue on this topic.

As Clubhead of Students for Justice in Palestine club for two years, I organized two Palestine Awareness Weeks (with the invaluable contributions of the other club members) that brought in speakers and filmmakers, offered Palestinian cuisine in the Kline Commons, screened Palestinian films, and welcomed local chapters of Jewish Voices for Peace to join-in on the dialogue.

While balancing these responsibilities and a full-load of coursework, I also fundraised several thousands of dollars for the Bard Palestinian Youth Initiative and the Samos Volunteers Initiative. BPYI continues to support Palestinian youth in the West Bank, while SVI supported me and another Arabic-speaking Bard student to volunteer in a Greek refugee camp in 2017. These fundraising achievements were made possible by the efforts of my colleagues in BPYI and SVI, in addition to other generous Bard students who were kind enough to help these causes.

While volunteering in Greece two summers ago, I established a refugee women's fitness program and an ongoing children's book circle program within the camp. This project offers very basic English lessons and helps promote literacy for a portion of the several hundred children in the camp, all of whom are not attending school.

Last summer, I continued similar work with recently arrived Arab refugees and immigrants to New Britain, Connecticut through the “Jiran: The Arabic Community Action Summer” program. I introduced and guided families through local resources, provided English lessons, and helped establish a year-long women’s fitness program at a local gym so that these women can have access to partially subsidized fitness classes with an Arabic translator. These initiatives helped those I worked with forge connections within and navigate through their new contexts.

While volunteering in Greece and Connecticut, I also conducted Institutional Review Board approved research with the Arab refugee and migrant communities that I worked with. I presented these findings at the American Anthropological Association’s annual meetings in 2017 and 2018. I plan to continue sharing my researches in a presentation at a private school in Connecticut and an upcoming publication.

Throughout my life, I have demonstrated my commitment to greater good. More than anything, I want to mobilize every ounce of my privileges as an educated and compassionate Arab-American in order to better our troubled world.

Please consider sharing this GoFundMe and donating to the AAF, so that I can possibly win the Miss Arab USA pageant and attain a unique platform to continue my work on a far-reaching scale.

There are several ways that you can support me to win. 20 points each are allocated towards Fundraising and Public Votes.


Fundraising:

My goal is to fundraise at least $2,000 for the Arab American Festival Organization, which organizes the Miss Arab USA pageant. The AAF organization is a non-profit charity 501(c)3 organization that supports children, refugees, orphans, homeless people, and young women. Its mission is to "document, preserve, celebrate, and educate the public on the history, life, culture and contributions of Arab Americans." 

All donations are tax-deductible!


Public Vote:

There is a minimum donation of $10 in order to vote. These donations go directly to the Miss Arab Organization’s charitable causes and do not connect to my fundraiser.

Here is the link to vote for me: https://vote.missarab.org/index.php/donations/payment/78 

Thank you for taking the time to read this message and support me in any way. I am truly grateful for all of the love and support that I have received.

A picture of my American Anthropological Association Undergraduate Poster Session presentation in 2017. 

A photo of my American Anthropological Association Late-Breaking Gallery Session presentation in 2018. 

A photograph from my presentation, "Intervening on the Middle East," at the Bard Leads: Leadership & Community Building Conference in 2017.