Sara Al-Zubi

Cincinnati, Ohio | Management and Leadership Major

Sara’s nominator described her as an exceptional person in whose hands we feel comfortable placing the future of our global society. Sara is Miami’s first Truman Scholar in 15 years and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Her work has been intensely focused on the mental health challenges refugees face when they arrive in the United States from their home countries. As a naturalized American citizen who immigrated from Jordan as a child, Sara empathizes with the experience of starting a new life in a new country.

When Sara arrived at Miami as a first-year student, she was already operating a non-profit sending letters of support to children who fled the Syrian civil war. She worked as a refugee transition coach for RefugeeConnect Ohio, assisting five recently relocated families in the Cincinnati area. Sara then founded an organization that provides mental health training for those working with refugees. She worked with the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations to interpret and draft United Nations legislation and has served on the Ohio Refugee Advisory Council.

These experiences led to Sara’s appointment as the U.S. Country Ambassador of Humanitarian Affairs to the United Nations, as well as her founding of 3Sisters Foundation, which will directly address the mental health challenges confronted by refugees. Sara also excelled on campus, completing extensive undergraduate research, studying abroad, and working with our Government Relations Network.