Ayah ElGaddal is from Iowa City, IA (but is ethnically Sudanese). Currently, she is pursuing an honors B.S degree in International Relations with a minor in Philosophy and a certificate in Human Rights.

Ayah holds immense interest in global affairs, especially in the fields of foreign policy, diplomacy, and human rights. As a result, she has constantly been engaging herself in multitudes of organizations, internships, and research addressing and understanding international issues. Last semester (and hopefully this semester), she interned with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC), where she assisted in developing community outreach strategies for the ICFRC "Immigrants & Refugees" program and aided in growing the number of ICFRC partners. Further, she also served as part of the Executive Board for two organizations: Peace By Peace and Muslim Student Association. In Peace by Peace, she served as a treasurer. During this role, she helped advocate for sustainable peace policies on the international level. Additionally, she aided members in facilitating discussions surrounding state and nonstate violence.

Beginning this summer, Ayah is serving as an Iowa UNA (United Nations Associations) Ambassador, where she continuously advocates for the value of the UN’s work on its sustainable goals including but not limited to human rights, global health, gender equity, and climate change, as well as its importance to US interests. At the moment, she is focused on informing the public about the UN’s role in human rights through blog and social media posts. This summer, Ayah is going to be serving as the Vice President of IGSA (Iowa Grand Strategy Association), a recently formed organization focused on enriching students with knowledge pertaining to national defense, superpower competition, and international security studies. She is more than excited to be a part of this project that provides a platform for students, faculty, and alumni to engage in international relations and politics discussions.

Following graduation, she plans to attend law school with the hope of working in the international political field as an international lawyer or a diplomat.