Presidential Scholars Program

Fun fact:  I've been to 14 countries and counting!

Hello! My name is Ruhma Khawaja and I am from Oswego, NY! I'm planning on concentrating in International and Public Affairs on the Policy and Governance track and Political Science on the American Politics track. I am pre-law, and I hope to become an attorney in constitutional or civil rights law. I’m also interested in exploring politics. I have a passion for travel, activism, and community service, and I also enjoy playing tennis and the violin! PSP has been a great way for me to build my professional skills and gain experience in the fields I enjoy.

I have been working with Professor Prerna Singh on a research project regarding forms of nationalism, particularly inclusive nationalism, around the world. With Professor Singh’s research team, I have been going through different regional and global surveys to extract questions addressing nationalism. We compile these into a spreadsheet and label key terms and ideas the questions address, so we can then note the differences between them and the nationalist feelings of the region being surveyed. The information we are collecting will then be used to create a website where information on these forms of nationalism is easily accessible and can be used to learn more about how nationalism can also be inclusive rather than just exclusive, which is something new I have learned by participating in this research project.