A rising junior with a major in political science and minors in history and psychology, Tanvi Jha is interning for the Council of American-Muslim Relations (CAIR), with funding through Center for Peach and Global Citizenship, this summer.

For one of her projects, Jha is working with organizers of the Festival of Arts and Culture of the Muslim Community of Philadelphia to plan educational talks exploring different aspects of culture and diversity within the Muslim community, as well as to coordinate performances by Muslim dancers and artists.

In addition to her work for the festival, Jha is shadowing a civil rights attorney working on immigration and discrimination cases and helping to promote voter registration.

Jha has developed a deep interest in international relations, politics, and law, especially the issues of faith, race, and ethnicities within these areas. She hopes to build on what she has learned about immigrant communities and the global impact of Islamophobia through both her courses at Haverford and her work with the New Sanctuary Movement.

“I was introduced to [the New Sanctuary Movement] through my work as a research assistant for the Islam in China project being done by [Assistant Professor of Religion] Guangtian Ha here at Haverford,” said Jha. “Through CAIR, I hope to learn more about the solutions and the groundwork being done to combat stigma and reduce hate, which may be perpetuated by global events, between communities of faith."

“Summer Centered” is a series exploring our students’ campus-supported summer work.