Graduate Student
Specialization:
Refugee Studies, Migration Studies, Climate Change, Global South Studies, Decolonial Theory, Ethnic Studies, Indigeneity-Critical Caste Studies, Film & Media Studies, Feminism & Gender-Sexuality Studies.
Education:
(2026) BA, International Studies-Political Science with a specialization in Middle East Studies and minor in Human Rights and Migration — University of California San Diego.
Bio:
Mahari is from Cary, North Carolina and spent their childhood living in various states in the southeastern U.S, from catching blue crabs in Charleston, South Carolina to biking through hurricanes in Tampa, Florida.
In their research, Mahari engages spaces where systems of oppression converge to worsen the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Their work applies de/anti-colonial methodologies to draw connections between how climate refugees shape and are shaped by systems of international governance, and how these relationships restructure the landscape of global migration and environmental justice. They are interested in exploring the embodied nature of queerness, caste, and borders, manifested through oral histories, art, film, and poetry as response to climate crises in South India, Mexico, and the southeastern U.S.
Mahari holds a B.A. in International Studies-Political Science from UC San Diego (UCSD), with a specialization in Middle East Studies and a minor in human rights and migration. Their experience includes working for Al Otro Lado, a border-abolitionist non-profit providing legal
and humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees. Mahari was also a research apprentice for a study on police violence at UCSD, and is an alumna of the Climate Justice and Resiliency Scholar program. Mahari has produced several independent documentary films on Dalit feminism and migration, while interning for UCSD’s Women’s Center, LGBT Resource Center, and Disability Resource Hub. They are a published poet, and enjoy blending their poetry, activism, and research to craft new imaginaries and futurisms where land and people thrive.