Education
Portland State University
B.S. (2015-2019)
Major: Management and Leadership and Human Resource Management
Minor: Arabic Language and Literature
Work Experiences at Portland State University
Student Ambassador Program
Sep 2016 - June 2019
I worked as the Lead Student Coordinator for the Student Ambassador Program. Through the program, I served as a representative of the student body at recruitment events, the president's events, and a campus tour guide. As a lead coordinator, I was responsible for mentoring and overseeing a group of four ambassador coordinators as they each mentor a small cohort of ambassadors during their first year of the program and oversee work specific to their area of expertise on the team. I also managed internal and external communication between the team, as well as other campus departments and colleges through regular meetings with deans and other representatives
Orientation Team
June 2016 - Oct 2018
I was a part of the Orientation Team during Summer 2016, then was promoted to a Team Lead in 2017, and a Student Coordinator in 2018. As a Team Lead, I focused on the professional development of the incoming cohort of orientation leaders in 2017, including training them in dealing with difficult situations and helping new students learn about the campus life and resources. As a Student Coordinator, I assisted with the communication with new students through managing emails and phone calls and oversaw part of the logistics of the orientation days. I also coordinated the recruitment of the 2018 orientation team and oversaw their training and professional development.
Student Activities and Leadership
Muslim Student Association
Vice President
Arab Persian Student Organization
Treasurer
Pre-Medicine Student Association
Founder, Vice President
PSU Red Cross Student Group
President
- NASPA Undergraduate Fellows (NUFP)NUFP is a program that aims to increase the number of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented professionals in student affairs and higher education.As a NUFP fellow, I received mentorship from a student affairs professional to develop personally and professionally, in addition to participating in activities within NASPA such as NASPA internships, attending regional and national conferences, and connecting with other student affairs professionals.At the end of my time in NUFP, I completed the table below to demonstrate how I met the program competencies during my two years in the program.
Writing, Research & Presentation Skills
Conference Presentations:
Student Activities and Leadership Program (SALP) Conferences:
Al Khamees, M 2019 Let’s Stir the Pot: Embracing Positive Conflict While Achieving Common Purpose
Al Khamees, M. Hill, B., Tonthat, S. 2018. Professional Networking for Student Leaders.
Collegiate Information and Visitor Services Association Student Development Institute (CIVSA) Conference:
Catalano, I., Al Khamees, M. 2019. Incorporating Social Activism into Student Leadership.
National Orientation Directors Association (NODA) Conference:
Al Khamees, M., Hill, B. 2018. Your Network is Your Net Worth: A Student Leader’s Guide to Professional Networking
Ethical Decision-Making Skills
- Made hiring decisions that impacted the New Student Programs student employees and team training.
- Decided on the status of student organizations in violation of the code of conduct and SALP policies
- Voicing students' voice on administrative task-forces and impacting university-wide programs (ex: PSU Cooperative education program)
Cultural Competency Skills
- The CIVSA Presentation focused on incorporating social justice into student programming and campus visits programs, and I assisted campus ambassadors in implementing social justice practices in their institution's programs
- I assisted with the Middle Eastern North African South Asian (MENASA) Cultural Initiative at PSU to create a new cultural resource center
Professional Networking Skills
- Created and presented the SALP conference presentation: Professional Networking for Student Leaders
- Conducted over ten informational interviews with HESA professionals and Graduate schools alumni
- Interacted with many professionals and knowledge communities during the NASPA 2019 conference
- Kept an active LinkedIn profile
Awareness and Understanding of Engaged Citizenship and Service
- I served on multiple advisory board committees such as the SALP Advisory Board, where I assisted with assessment and policy-making for the student groups and operated services
- Engaged with administrators in discussions and recommendations regarding PSU policies and campus initiatives
Ability to Identify and Develop Personal and Career Goals
- Advocated to become the Lead Coordinator of the Ambassador Team to gain more HESA experience
- Researched 6+ HESA graduate programs and applied to 2 programs
- Participating in the NUFP summer internship program with the University of Notre Dame
- Applied to various Graduate Teaching Assistantships at Oregon State University
Understanding about Multiple Relationships to Power and Privilege
- The CIVSA Presentation presented issues regarding the lack of diversity in higher education and its impact on students of color
- Understanding and educating professionals and academics about the impact of tokenization and stereotypes in higher education
- Researched the impact of history on students of color in PWI and the modern issues that it resulted in
Understanding of the history, mission, and purpose of student affairs in various institutional types and structures within higher education
- Conversations with various HESA professionals and my NASPA mentor helped me gain an understanding of the purpose of student affairs
Understanding of NASPA’s organization and structure
- The NASPA 2019 Conference allowed me to further explore the organization and its administration
- I'm involved with 2 Knowledge Communities through NASPA: Spirituality and Religion in Higher Education, and Women in Student Affairs
