The Middle Eastern North African Club (MENA), created by Freshman Yasmeen Elmezain, has the purpose of uplifting Middle Eastern, Arab and North African voices while also celebrating their cultures and heritages. The club meets every Thursday in room B8, Online Learning Teacher Daniel Camacho’s room.

   Elmezain said that she was inspired to start this club because when she came to UC High she noticed that there was no club representing students of Arab heritage.

   Elmezain said, “I want to cultivate a safe space for us all to come together and be our true selves. Representation is essential in an educational and social setting. Being a Palestinian in diaspora, I am very passionate about education and spreading awareness. I grew up here in America and I want MENA to be a space for students to be able to connect to their roots.”

   Treasurer Freshman Tala Wolf said, “With MENA Club, our general goals include educating others about Arab history and heritage and providing a safe space for students. We also want to get involved and be active in our community.”

   Senior Farah Aswad said, “I’m excited for the bonding and volunteer opportunities through MENA. Knowing the officers, I know they’re really determined and passionate. As a Middle Easterner, I was intrigued and excited that a MENA club was created. We’ve had other ethnic and community clubs at UC but never a MENA club and for it to be run by a friend of mine, I was excited to show support… MENA’s presence on this campus really promotes the idea of diversity which I feel is a very important topic both on and off campus.”

   Elmezain said, “MENA club is all about celebrating our different cultures and heritages, having a space for Arab students to feel safe and welcome and learning about Arab heritage and history. I hope to not only create a welcoming space, but truly educate the student body and spread awareness.”