Yasmin is now an award-winning PhD student at the University of California, Davis studying contemporary American literature.
That spark for diving into scholarly work started at Whittier College, where the English major was selected for the prestigious Mellon Mays fellowship, which funded her undergraduate research into censored, banned, and even burned literature. That led to an award-winning essay, "Banning Without Bans," which she polished with the guidance of her professor, Jonathan Burton.
“At Whittier, I’ve had the chance to work with amazing faculty and interact with peers who made my college experience unforgettable," she said.
Her academic career continues at UC Davis, where she's focusing on contemporary American literature. She's also pursuing a Science and Technology Studies Designated Emphasis to research the implications that technology in speculative fiction has on our concept of privacy within our homes. She's also won the Public Engagement award for her 2023 UC Davis Grad Slam presentation entitled: "Don’t Say - - -: An Exploration of the Censorship of Literature in the US.”
She attributes much of her success to working closely with faculty in the English department at Whittier College, particularly Burton and dAvid pAddy, and the immense amount of support she received from the Mellon Mays Foundation.
