Khansa Maria

Biography

Khansa Maria is a senior at Georgetown University Qatar, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service. Khansa is deeply passionate about advocating for the rights of people with disabilities and designing accessible communities in an effort to ensure inclusivity. To this end, she has organized and has spoken at various conferences on inclusion and inclusive policy. In her sophomore year she was a recipient of a Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Grant which enabled her to investigate the barriers impacting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the Qatari workforce. Her Honors thesis focuses on the evolution of disability rights movement in postcolonial South Asia and how it has shaped representations of people with disabilities. On campus, Khansa leads various clubs including the Georgetown Debating Union and the South Asian Society. Currently, Khansa is working with the US Embassy in Qatar to develop a conversation around diversity, inclusion and promote regenerative discourse on prevalent socio-political issues. At Oxford, Khansa hopes to further her studies in public policy and social intervention. Khansa hopes to work on inclusive policy making and capacity building for the disability community in Pakistan.