Brandeis Scholar Leads on Campus, Abroad
Malika Sar’a Imhotep (Sar’a) is a rising star at Brandeis University. A stellar student, she is equally dedicated to community building, whether on campus or abroad in Ghana where she interned this past summer.
As co-president of the Brandeis Black Student Organization, Sar’a and her executive board organized a cultural diversity awareness week that included a discussion on black and Jewish relations keynoted by Ibrahim Sundiata, a tenured professor of history, and Jonathan Kaufman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. The organization also held an election night watch party followed by a discussion of the results and a panel on the black experience and higher education.
“I was glad to be a part of something that gave a voice and safe space to students of color on campus,” says Sar’a. “We also paved the way for some great pluralistic efforts.”
Sar’a is also a community advisor for freshman students, a member of the Brandeis committee that gives grants to diversity-focused programs on campus, a student ambassador who interviews alumni about their Brandeis experience, treasurer for the poetry club, a performer at the Brandeis African Student Organization Annual African Culture Show and a member of the Boston Black Student Network's Presidents Council, a group of the presidents of black student organizations from across the greater Boston area.
Putting her enthusiastic leadership skills to work abroad, Sar’a spent the summer working with The Attukwei Art Foundation, which implements art therapy programs in Ghanaian schools. Sar’a volunteered in three different schools throughout the Labadi Township in Accra, Ghana's capital city, working with children ranging in age from 3 to 16 years old. At one school she initiated a Women's Leadership Group serving young adolescent girls.
“I got hands on exposure to international youth development. Our weekly sessions explored a wide range of topics—from women’s health to defining love and the shared elements of our cultures,” says Sar’a. “My degree is centered around socio-cultural studies in the African diaspora, so being in Ghana and seeing the cultural similarities had a profound impact on the perspective I brought back with me to campus.”
