Saria Bechara, she/her

Saria Bechara (she/her/hers) is a Graduate Assistant for Student Civic Learning at the Gephardt Institute. In this role, she helps design, plan, and facilitate Civic Café, a weekly discussion series where students can share a meal, learn about civic topics, and develop civic engagement skills.

Saria is pursuing a PhD in Social Work at the Brown School, and her research focuses on well-being among forcibly displaced and immigrant communities. Prior to joining WashU, Saria worked as a Program Assistant in the University of Michigan School of Social Work’s ENGAGE team, where she helped coordinate a variety of community-engaged programs. She has also worked as a psychosocial support provider for refugee families in Lebanon, her home country, and was involved in student leadership programming during her undergraduate studies.

Saria was drawn to the Gephardt Institute because she is passionate about uplifting community voices in spaces where they are often excluded, such as academia. She also believes that civic and community engagement on campus can be transformative for students’ lives both during their studies and post-graduation, so she was excited about the opportunity to contribute to programs that make these experiences more accessible to students at WashU.

Outside of school, Saria enjoys reading novels, watching movies, baking, knitting, and traveling.