“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin Dear Fellow Warrior, Time passes, seasons come and go…. and summer feels like it is already here… even when you are not ready for the heat. I missed the Kite Festival in DC, this year.…
Academia
Ten Years with a Warrior KQueen
“Write hard and clear about what hurts.” – Earnest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast Dear Fellow Warrior, Spring has arrived. Through another difficult winter and the blessing of another Ramadan. And I know I have not written for several months now. This is actually the first blog post on Chronicles of a Warrior KQueen, the first…
A Special “PhD Wedding” Anniversary: Hooded, Hijabi, & Unapologetic
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.“ – Dr. Maya Angelou Hasbiyallahu wa ni’amal wakeel. Dear Fellow Warrior, Recently, I shared a critical moment on social media, and I wanted that moment to be here, at its rightful place here as well. This past week, on December 16th, I honored four…
Defining Moments and Personal Milestones: A Mid-Year Video Update
“My Voice is Not an Apology.”– Nayyirah Waheed “The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.”– Mohamed Najumi Dear Fellow Warrior, I filmed this video last month, shortly after my last poetry performance on June 10th. It took me some time to edit… someday, I’ll have…
The Underdog Rises: A WOC’s Academic Comeback, Reckoning, & Reclamation
Reflections on My Three-Year Graduation Anniversary, for my Academic Journey, and as a Woman of Color in Academia… “Great spirits always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein Dear Fellow Warrior, I write this for Me, myself, and I. And all those who felt invisible in Academia, and deserved better. Three years after…
When You Know …
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran Dear Fellow Warrior, When you begin to see things clearer…see the truth… when you begin to learn more about what “mental health stigma” and what “mental health bigotry” looks like across all domains… in the family,…
Rising Above Adversity
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle Dear Fellow Warrior, Sometimes, when I go out, maybe to the grocery store or run an errand, my mind tends to think that I still look like the person I was “before.” Before the pandemic. Before this grey zone – ‘identity crisis’…
Re-Introducing Dr. Elsa, “The Warrior KQueen”
Why I Claimed the title, “The Warrior KQueen,” and Why I Continue to Embrace it in the New Decade of my life. “She wasn’t looking for a Knight. She was looking for a Sword.” – Atticus Dear Fellow Warrior, I hope you had a fantastic summer. August is over, and we are now in the…