Sarah Mikati (nominated by FRIT) receives the Ohio State University Board of Trustees Student Recognition Award (January 27, 2017). Sarah is a French Honors, Journalism, and International Studies triple major.

How did you choose your three majors? What got you interested in those subjects?
I actually started out at Ohio State just double majoring in Middle East studies and Journalism, with a minor in French. Eventually though, my credits worked out so that I could triple major and still graduate on time. The fields of study I picked were for the career I'm pursuing, and also partially because of my own Lebanese background. I want to be a magazine journalist, specializing in the Middle East and related issues. Growing up in the post-9/11 world, I couldn't help but notice a severe gap and stumble in how the media covered the Middle East. I decided I wanted to sharpen my own expertise, to contribute quality and fair journalistic work to the field.

I understand that you spent a semester in France, conducting a research thesis! What was your research topic, and how did you choose it?
Throughout my undergraduate experience, my French classes introduced me to the social relations between France and its North African population. I became fascinated with the idea of identity and belonging in France, since it operates very differently from the U.S. — pluralism and multiculturalism isn't accepted, everyone has to be "neutral". Those questions are even more pertinent and complex in regards to the North African population, considering the history of colonialism. After the November 2015 Paris attacks, a writer and singer that I follow on social media published an open letter in a French magazine, that portrayed a real desire and tenderness for being French. This was shocking in comparison to his previous writings, which consistently pointed out the flaws and discriminations in France. That's what gave me the idea of examining whether the terrorist attacks triggered any sort of shift in the question of identity and belonging...Read more

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