Mehreen Girach

“I never used to consciously think about my own identity. I would just live my life. I would never really reflected at all. But recently, I’ve started to reflect on my own identity and my own experience.”

Toyloy Brown III

It is not uncommon to hear a cliché about how college is the time for people to discover themselves. As much as this phrase is overused, it does contain some truth. For Mehreen Girach, her college experience has led her to think more critically about herself. “I never used to consciously think about my own identity. I would just live my life. I would never really reflect at all. But recently, I’ve started to reflect on my own identity and my own experience more. I never thought of doing (that) when I was younger.” Mehreen is a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major and is in the 4+1 elementary education program. She is the secretary of the Muslim Student Association, the youth co-chair for the Community Action Project and is a general member of the South Asian Society. Her involvement in these organizations have helped her feel comfortable at Quinnipiac. “Joining those clubs made me feel a little more welcome and like I belonged at Quinnipiac,” Mehreen said. “Whereas before I joined those groups I didn’t feel like that at all.” Mehreen is from Connecticut and went to a small Islamic school from Pre-K to eighth grade. When she graduated eighth grade, she left her comfort zone and was accepted and given a scholarship to attend a high school in what she called “the rich side of town.” “So that was the first time I felt out of place because it was predominately white and everyone was pretty wealthy.” When she went to this high school, she also started going by the nickname Mimi. “In the ninth grade, a girl on my soccer team didn’t know how to say my name,” Mehreen said. “So she asked if I had a nickname and I said no. And she gave (the nickname) to me. It just stuck, and I don’t mind it.” Mehreen’s time at a predominantly white and wealthy high school as an Asian student prepared her for what she would experience at Quinnipiac. “When I came to Quinnipiac, it wasn’t as much of a shock to me because I had already experienced that feeling out of place,” Mehreen said. “But I still had hope that it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was in my high school.” One huge difference that made attending QU more challenging as opposed to high school was the reality of not being able to go home each day after school. “In high school, I would still go home and I would still have my Muslim community or my South Asian community, friends and everything,” Mehreen said. “But then in college, I’m living there, and I can’t just go home after school everyday and have that community still there.” One thing that isn’t different at Quinnipiac is religion being a major aspect of her life. “My religion is extremely important to me,” Mehreen said. “It’s something I was always brought up with. Something my parents never told me to shy away from or be embarrassed about. I’ve always grown up with religious faith and ties and (it) kind of dictates a lot of my everyday life.” Since she grew up mostly around Muslims, she didn’t stand out in her environment and never had concerns about what people thought of her faith. But now at Quinnipiac, where the size of the Muslim population is the opposite of what she is accustomed to, she is more cognizant of how she stands out because of her religious background. She is also aware of the possibility of it being the reason someone could view her negatively. “It has been tough, especially because (of) our increase of media and people’s portrayal of Islam isn’t always the best,” Mehreen said. “So it has been tough to stay true to my faith without feeling like, ‘Oh if I pray in front of my roommate, is she going to judge me,’ or if someone asks me about my faith and I answer honestly, are they going to judge me, are they going to think I’m a terrorist or something because I believe in a certain God or prophet.” Even with this type of angst, she doesn’t believe she has had any truly bad experiences because of her identity. However, Mehreen still remembers when she was living in a quad dorm her freshman year and was in a situation where a roommate and their parents would act in a way that was off-putting. “I don’t want to say they didn’t respect me because I don’t want to assume things if they didn’t outright say it but … Sometimes they would kick my stuff around or they would give me looks when I would talk on the phone in another language with my parents and my friends,” Mehreeen said. “And just stuff like that. I was not comfortable around them.” Even with an uncomfortable situation like this, the foremost reason Mehreen remains at Quinnipiac is so she can get an education that will allow her to be a teacher. She wants to teach elementary school students and the program she is in is giving her the tools to succeed in that path. Her interest in wanting to be a teacher has always “brewed in the back of her mind” since her mom is a teacher. Mehreen’s own passion for teaching was realized in high school when she would tutor younger children. Mehreen wants to be an educator like her mom, but that doesn’t prevent her from wanting to emulate her father, who she considers a great role model as well. She feels fortunate to have them as parents, and is grateful to them for the life she has today. “My parents are immigrants (from India) and that has always pushed me to do the best that I can because I could be back home overseas and not have anything close to the opportunities I have right now,” Mehreen said. “I feel like it’s my duty to take advantage of those opportunities.”