A Towson University diversity coordinator strives to be the guide she wanted as a college student

While obtaining her two degrees from Penn State Harrisburg, Atika Syed says she often struggled to feel seen.

Syed, a Muslim woman, immigrated to Hershey, Pennsylvania, from Pakistan in 2010 because of her husband’s job and started school as a mother of two, eventually obtaining a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in community psychology and social change.

“I would often feel like I had to actually, actively explain to people at the university what certain religious requirements were, what was deemed important in my religion and culture. And that was a very tedious process,” Syed said. “It made me feel like an outsider. And that’s the last thing you need when you’re in a place that you spend most of your waking hours.”

In an attempt to ensure that other students don’t have the same experience, Syed works as the Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and Desi American (APIMEDA) coordinator at Towson University’s Center for Student Diversity. She’s the first person to hold the position. (Desi describes people of the Indian subcontinent, including those from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.)

The Center for Student Diversity was established in 1969 as the Office of Minority Affairs to integrate Black students into Towson, according to the center’s website. The center has changed names several times since then.

According to a university spokesperson, in spring 2023, there were about 1,180 students in the APIMEDA community out of 18,306 students across the undergraduate and graduate populations.

Syed, 46, capped off her inaugural year in the role by overseeing a first-of-its-kind graduation ceremony for APIMEDA students May 19. Over 50 graduates received navy blue and gold stoles while surrounded by dishes piled high with vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken and samosas.

Ava Askandarian, 22, was one of those students. She said it was “eye-opening” to sit in a room surrounded by other students in the APIMEDA community, and that it made her feel proud.

Askandarian, who studied psychology and theater arts, immigrated from Iran while in elementary school. At Towson, she was constantly looking for a place she belonged. She started working as a student office assistant at the Center for Student Diversity in September 2021, a little less than a year before Syed started. Askandarian said Syed being in the office was a catalyst for the APIMEDA community’s growth.

“All the students who identify as APIMEDA are slowly starting to find a place where they feel like they belong,” Askandarian said. “APIMEDA ... is a huge umbrella term with so many different backgrounds and cultures. I feel like having a coordinator who understands that is so important, so the students feel as though they are at home.”

At the beginning of the year, Syed focused on building relationships with individual students and student organizations, she said. Students often offer to help her with events such as the graduation ceremony. And they’ve come to see Syed’s office as a “safe space” where she helps them prioritize their mental and physical health while managing course loads.

“The relationship has blossomed so much so that they actually, when they don’t have classes, they often hang out in my office all the time,” Syed said. “There’s hardly any time when I’m by myself in my office.”

Askandarian said she’s grateful that Syed’s door is always open. While grappling with watching her country undergo a woman-led revolution from afar, Askandarian found comfort in being able to go to Syed for support.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, Syed has hosted other events for APIMEDA students, such as two welcome events at the beginning of the fall semester, an author talk and book signing with a Pakistani writer and a “stop Asian hate” panel discussion. She has collaborated with offices such as the Asian Arts & Culture Center and the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility.

Before Syed started at the Center for Student Diversity, she worked as a social justice coordinator at the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg in Pennsylvania and as a homicide survivor advocate at Roberta’s House, a family grief support center, in Baltimore.

At the Center for Student Diversity, Syed is one of several employees who connect with students from traditionally underserved communities, such as the Latine, African American and LGBTQ+ communities.

“By providing the services of the center, we are able to ensure that the students are also retaining and graduating because they have identified a sense of community on campus,” said Rhea Roper Nedd, the center’s director. “Being on campus away from home can be challenging, but knowing that you have a community, a support system, and a ... faculty member that can serve as your mentor and your advocate and your ally certainly changes or shifts the experience that you’re having on a college campus.”

When she was a Penn State Harrisburg student, Syed didn’t know she could bring her children to class if she couldn’t find a babysitter or that she could ask professors to let her eat to break her Ramadan fast during class. Even though she had understanding professors, Syed said she didn’t feel comfortable asking for help.

Syed’s daughter, Adeena, graduated from both Penn State and Temple universities. Like her mother, Adeena struggled to find someone she could relate to in the administration, Syed said.

“When this opportunity came my way, my daughter was the first one to say, ‘Please, do not pass it up,’” Syed said. “She was like, ‘I wish I had someone like that. You have no idea how much your students are going to appreciate having someone like you in that position and you’re going to establish some great relationships.’ And almost a year into it, I can see that she was right.”

This article is part of our Newsmaker series, which profiles notable people in the Baltimore region who are having an impact in our diverse communities. If you’d like to suggest someone who should be profiled, please send their name and a short description of what they are doing to make a difference to: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor Kamau High at khigh@baltsun.com.