Muna Ali

Mississauga, Ontario
Canadian Studies & Women’s Studies

For new Canadian Studies and Women’s Studies graduate, Muna Ali, having the opportunity to apply what she has learned in the classroom to real-world issues has been a key piece of her Trent experience.

“My degree would have been useless if it was just about reading text. It’s been important to me to apply theory by organizing and through activism,” Muna explains.

At Trent, Muna has been an active and engaged student. She served as the Trent Central Student’s Association’s (TCSA) Anti-Racism Commissioner, a position that linked directly to other volunteer work on anti-racism and anti-oppression social justice organizing. During her time at the University, she was also a member of the Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity, the Decolonization and Anti-racism Coalition, Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty, and the Ontario Public Interest Research Group, among others.

In talking about her work on these various committees, Muna says, “I’ve learned so much. I know that whatever I do in life I’ll continue to organize.” According to Muna, this passion she has for advocacy and organizing is a direct result of her Trent experience. “Here I’ve learned to advocate, organize and mobilize,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot from my experience here. It’s really politicized me and got me involved in my anti-racism/oppression social justice organizing.”

A recipient of many awards and honours, Muna has been presented with a Trent University National Scholarship and the Northway Scholarship for top achievement in Canadian Studies. In December, she was awarded the Lincoln M. Alexander Award from Lieutenant Governor David Onley for her tireless volunteer work and in April, the Soroptimist International Club of Peterborough honoured her as the 2009 recipient of the Trent Women’s Studies Award.

With ambitions to continue with her advocacy and social justice work, Muna will begin a master’s program in Sociology at York University in September.

Reflecting on her time at Trent, Muna says fondly, “I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve got out of academia at Trent. I’ve expanded and developed my analysis of a variety of issues here. My experience at Trent has played a large role in how I view the world and how I view myself in relation to different issues and aspects of society.”