About Our Staff

Gina Waneis, Director

Gina Waneis (she/her/هي) is a proud first-generation Syrian-American. As an alumna of UC Riverside, Gina holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Education. During her undergrad, she was active with the Middle Eastern Student Center, where she became a founding sister of Epsilon Alpha Sigma, also known as the Empowered Arab Sisterhood, and was involved in Highlander Orientation. Gina graduated with an M.S. in Higher Education from California State University, Fullerton.

She helped start the SWANA organization and co-wrote the SWANA Resolution during graduate school. Most recently, Gina served as the inaugural SWANA Retention Specialist at UC Santa Cruz, where she helped build a foundation by creating signature programs, improving data practices, and increasing visibility for the community. Outside of these roles, Gina serves as a Director of Scholarships for the Syrian Americans Network For Educational Advancement and as the Communications Coordinator for NASPA Region VI.

In her free time, you can catch Gina spending time with her family, traveling with her friends, or trying new recipes she finds online.

Badiaa Hiresh, Program Coordinator

Badiaa Hiresh (she/her/هي), an American-Lebanese professional, was born and raised in Lebanon, where she built a dynamic career while raising two daughters. Her time living both in Lebanon and the United States has given her a rich international perspective, deepening her understanding of cultural dynamics and global interconnectedness.

In her previous roles, She has made impactful contributions to school development and higher education strategy, seamlessly blending her background in business with educational leadership to drive innovation and growth. Outside of her professional life, Badiaa is a passionate advocate for peace. As a longtime Peace Coordinator, she has dedicated years to inspiring positive change and fostering meaningful dialogue across communities.

Badiaa is also a deeply reflective writer and the author of three internationally published books. Through her writing, she empowers readers to embrace transformation—both personal and societal—with compassion and purpose. We are honored to have Badiaa join the MESC team and look forward to the energy, wisdom, and creativity she brings to our community!

Amy Maatouk, Programming Intern

Amy Maatouk is our intern for Event Programming. She is a third-year Psychology major on track to graduate in 2026.

Amy grew up in Syria and moved here as a refugee after the war. Her favorite food is a tie between Lebni and Manaesh. She loves a variety of hobbies including crocheting and painting. She also loves listening to music and playing electric guitar. She listens to everything from classic Rock and Soul to modern-day Hip-hop. As a psych major, a big goal of hers is to destigmatize mental health in SWANA communities.

Coming to the United States as a refugee, Amy saw her community being misrepresented and misunderstood often. As a result, she wanted to create a community that was safe for SWANA students, which is why she wanted to work at the MESC. Her role at the MESC is to help with programs and events throughout the year such as our weekly MESCafes. Her favorite memory of MESC is working front-desk and meeting new people/building community. Her favorite MESC event had to be ME week!

Antriana Bigiazian, Programming Intern

Antriana Bigiazian is our new intern working with our Community Outreach and Programming interns. They are currently a third-year Political Science/International Affairs major and in the process of double minoring in Sociology and Law & Society. Antriana is of Armenian-Greek descent and spent almost their whole childhood in Athens, Greece and now is focusing their career on Immigration Law. Outside of school, Antriana likes to play video games, spend time with loved ones, always excited to try new cultural dishes, and practice boxing as a form of self-defense.

Antriana began attending MESCafe and enjoying their time in the MESC space almost every day before they decided they would want to join the MESC team. They wanted to bring a new perspective in the center and continue uplifting SWANA voices within the campus. Antriana has been currently working closely with Armenian staff across different UC campuses to ensure Modern Armenian History is represented at UC Riverside through a student-led course in the upcoming academic quarters. They also plan to bring Queer SWANA events to ensure Queer SWANA community members are visible and represented on campus. Antriana is motivated to ensure that underrepresented SWANA community members feel seen and heard.

Elyana Steih, Marketing Intern

Elyana Steih is our Marketing and Communications intern and a fourth-year Political Science and International Affairs major.

Elyana is a Syrian-American who loves to spend summers in Syria, especially in her hometowns, Wadi Al Nasara and Fairuzah. Her major and cultural background allows her to bring a global perspective to her work, combining her academic knowledge with practical marketing skills.

Elyana looks forward to a year of creating social media content and engaging with MESC students!

Aakif Iqbal, Marketing Intern

Aakif Iqbal is our Marketing and Communications Intern. He is currently a third-year student majoring in Computer Science.

He is a Pakistani and Kashmiri American who enjoys a variety of hobbies whether it be watching movies and writing reviews, watching interviews with artists, learning about history, listening to music, playing and making music, and reading. His favorite movie of all time is "Reds" and his favorite album is "This is Happening" by LCD Soundsystem.

Aakif’s favorite memory thus far was the Fall open house. He says the reason he loves it so much is because that event is what introduced him to the MESC and is the event that he made most of the friends he has on campus. Besides the open house, he also says he loved the Culture show which was put on during ME week because he got the ability to Dabke with a professional Dabke group and also perform guitar.

Nooreen Marabeh, Community Outreach Intern for First Years, Transfers and Alumni

Nooreen Marabeh is our Outreach intern for First Years, Transfers, and Alumni. She is currently a third-year a Biochem major.

A little bit about Nooreen is that she is Palestinian, raised in SoCal, on track to be a PA, and loves food. Some of her hobbies include baking and cooking with her family. When she is not working at the MESC you can find her at club meetings for SJP and Shifa society as a board member.

What she loves about the MESC is that it isn't just a place to hang out but to learn about different backgrounds and cultures and connect with those who share similar backgrounds. If she had to pick, her favorite event that the MESC put on would have to be SWANA Con because it was a blast meeting new people and attending different workshops.

Dania Alkam, RSAC Diversity Council Representative

Dania Alkam is our representative for RSAC and the Diversity Council.

She is currently in her third year pursuing a degree in Bioengineering. Dania is a Palestinian-American who enjoys spending her summers back home in Palestine with her family. Growing up, her older siblings would bring her around to the center (dating back to its creation in 2013!), and she was inspired by the large SWANA community on campus.

This encouraged her to join the team and give back to her community by working with UCR’s Diversity Council to help ensure the SWANA community feels welcomed on our campus.

Monaya Maaz, Community Outreach intern for Student Organizations

Monaya Maaz is our Community Outreach intern for student organizations. She is currently a third-year education major and psychology minor.

Monaya is a Lebanese Muslim American who enjoys a wide variety of hobbies ranging from cooking, baking, to spending time with her friends, to going to the beach. Monaya's goal is to become an elementary school teacher.

Monaya wanted to work at the MESC as a good way to meet more SWANA people on campus and create more memories. Her favorite memory so far is getting to know all the other interns at the MESC and cooking together during training week! In this position, She helps contribute to building a community within the SWANA community by planning events and helping student organizations. She hopes to plan events this year that are fun, inviting, and allow for people to create new friendships! Her favorite MESC event is cook with ME!

Muntadhar Aljadeed, IMPACT Intern for Arab American Civic Council

Muntadhar Aljadeed is one of our impact interns, working closely with the Arab American Civic Council (AACC), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement within the Arab community. He is a second-year student pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, driven by a deep motivation to create positive change in the world.

Muntadhar, who was born in Iraq and moved to the United States at the age of five, believes that being an AACC impact intern is a meaningful step toward achieving his goals. As a Muslim of strong faith, he values the role of community and the importance of giving back. Muntadhar’s passion for civic engagement is especially significant as an Iraqi immigrant, recognizing the value of amplifying voices from underrepresented communities. He understands how crucial it is for immigrants to be involved in civic activities, ensuring that their perspectives and needs are heard in broader societal discussions.

In his first year, Muntadhar frequently visited the Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC), where he embraced the opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions. This experience motivated him to join the MESC team, where he continues to grow and contribute to his community. Beyond his civic interests, Muntadhar enjoys exploring nature, working on cars, and playing tennis with his friends.

Ameen Ahmed, IMPACT intern for Sahaba Initiative

Ameen Ahmed is our Sahaba Initiative IMPACT intern for the year. As a 4th-year Bioengineering major on the premed track, he takes pride in his well rounded educational background with focuses in Biology and Engineering.

Proudly hailing from an Indian Muslim family rooted in Hyderabad, Ameen appreciates the warm hospitality and witty humor his culture is known for. He’s also a self-proclaimed car encyclopedia, capable of identifying any car from the smallest detail and rattling off fun facts about them. With aspirations to become a physician serving the Inland Empire, Ameen hopes to break down racial and ethnic barriers in healthcare.

His motivation to join the Sahaba Initiative was sparked by his long-standing involvement with their soup kitchen and outreach efforts, as well as his commitment to understanding the region to better serve its community one day. One of his favorite memories with the MESC is his first major event—repainting and cleaning the parking lot at a local mosque. This hands-on experience cemented his dedication to MESC, and he has been an active member ever since.