“My ultimate career goals are rooted in a passion for helping others.”
Maria Mitri comes to the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Research as a Next Generation Intern through the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. As a rising junior at American University, she studies International Relations and Spanish Translation and is passionate about climate activism, refugee advocacy, and gun violence prevention. She holds degree concentrations in Global Inequality and Development, and Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution.
Previously, she has worked with nonprofit organizations like The Displacement Initiative, where she worked as a journalism intern and wrote weekly articles about displacement across the globe, and Voice for Refuge Action Fund, where she served as a political research and advocacy intern helping to advance pro-refugee policies in government, and support refugees and immigrants running for office in the United States. By interning with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence, Maria hopes to gain more research, writing, and administrative experience. Most importantly, though, she wants to contribute to ending an epidemic that has reached almost every corner of the country, even her hometown.
“In the future, I see myself utilizing my research, writing, and journalism skills for others, and speaking up for those who have been historically silenced.“
At PCGVR, Maria has been assisting with administrative tasks like blog posts and website updates, and looks forward to working as a team with activists, survivors, experts, and academics. Outside of work, she can be found cooking, reading, or swimming, and loves spending time with her family.