Shahreen Zaman is the newest addition to the Center for African Studies staff. She is the Academic Assistant for the Center for African Studies, contributing to program and database management, among other critical duties. You can find her at the main office desk.
Shahreen is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, earning a B.A. in Anthropology and a Minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance. She has participated extensively in university activities during her years as an undergraduate. She acted as a student liaison for the UF Dance Marathon for two years, fundraising over $6000 with her team, and working towards increasing awareness about childhood illness. Shahreen also worked as a conversation partner at the English Language Institute, helping international students improve their English language skills. Shahreen herself speaks English, French, and Bengali.
Shahreen has held multiple positions in the Dean of Students Office. As a Morale Chair she trained over 40 new members as Campus Diplomats, and helped coordinate events, retreats, banquets, and meetings. She also acted as an Ambassador to the Dean of Students Office, where she was involved in program planning, handling logistics, and executing events. Her role was instrumental in the annual Fall Family Weekend, which welcomes over 2,500 family members of UF students to campus every October. Her duties also included collaborating with offices on campus in student affairs pertaining to veterans, international students, transfer students, and students with disabilities.
Her academic interests include public health, international development, humanitarian aid, epidemiology, and medical anthropology. She has assisted with public health research conducted by former UF medical anthropologist, Dr. Sharon Abramowitz, which focused on the Ebola crisis in Africa. Her work on this research project included transcribing interviews, identifying commonalities between interview responses, analyzing methods used in humanitarian reactions, and attempting to detect faults in the public health response. This project and her coursework in anthropology has influenced her decision to pursue a career in international development through public health, which she hopes to begin after applying to graduate school in the next few years. She looks forward to growing as a CAS staff member, working with everyone, and getting to know more about the programs and opportunities we offer. She says it is exciting to stay at the university after graduation and develop a new perspective outside of her role as a student–it almost feels like an entirely new place!