Emerson Fellow
Malak Kudaimi
25th Class, 2018-2019
From Irvine, CA, Malak graduated with Phi Betta Kappa and honors from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor’s Degree in public health and international studies. Throughout her time in college, Malak was vocally active in establishing and maintaining food security efforts during her time in college as an intern helping establish a permanent food pantry at UCI, and then as the Programming Student Manager at the UCI FRESH Basic Needs Hub, the largest college basic needs center in the country. Malak has also spent time conducting qualitative research during her time at UCI, first on the leading factors of food insecurity on campus and then on the factors that affect the health and well-being of first-generation college students through the Public Health Honors Research Program. She has also been involved through community-based work as an intern at the Orange County Healthcare Agency, the Tiyya Foundation, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (LA chapter).
Field placement: University District Food Bank
Seattle, Washington
Malak is working with the University District Food Bank on a project addressing college student hunger. Specifically, she is working to help establish a sustainable food pantry on the North Seattle Community College campus in partnership with the food bank. Additionally, she is assessing the current response to college hunger on the University of Washington campus and analyzing the best way that the food bank can partner with that campus to increase capacity to reduce food insecurity.