Mariam Sirage is a first-generation Black Muslim woman. She was born and raised in Fenway, MA, and her parents immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia. She graduated BLS as President of both Young Women of Color (YWOC), an affinity group for Black and Latinx girls, and the Islamic Society of Boston Latin (ISBL), a club for Muslim students.
One of the most challenging aspects of her BLS career beyond navigating her identity in a PWI has been blocking out the outside noise from the competitive nature of BLS and understanding what matters to her most. What she’s found is that she’s interested in working with communities of color, particularly Black communities, and getting them the resources they need to thrive. She’s thinking about pursuing Public Health, though she’s unsure which role is best suited for her.
To her, Public Health has two main categories: government and research. After doing a research program at Dana-Farber last summer, her natural next step was to see what this work in government looked like. She figured her options would be extremely scarce since she’s always struggled with history courses, had no prior experience in government, or was even sure she wanted to pursue government.
Once she heard that the Ward Fellowship Applications were open, and she saw “public service” in the description, she decided to throw her hat in the pool and give it her best shot. She got admitted into the program and is currently working with Councilor Tania Fernandes-Anderson, the first Black Muslim woman elected in the city of Boston.