In November, senior communication major Giselle George and sophomore international relations major Adam Mikhail launched the long-awaited Middle East and North African Student Association (MENA) called Sawa, which means "together" in Arabic.

During her four years at Wheaton, George, who is ethnically Assyrian, became a key facilitator of the MENA community on campus, or for those with connections to that region. From organizing dinner at Anderson Commons to Friendsgiving to spreading the word about visiting speakers, George's passion for sharing culture and helping all students feel welcome became the framework for a new student association.

"There's a real vibrancy that comes with the Middle Eastern students," George said. "As individuals, each of the Middle Eastern students has a presence, but I honestly hope to see a collective presence in the next five years."

The idea of forming some kind of formal student group for students of Middle Eastern or North African descent had been discussed both in George's friend group and by others before them for several years. However, several younger siblings of the Middle Eastern students on campus enrolled for the 2023-2024 school year, and the influx brought the need for a student association front and center.

Sawa advisor and Wheaton accessibility specialist Joelle Merrifield is excited about the MENA region being represented in a new way. "MENA students have roots in a beautiful and diverse culture and a rich history of Christian faith. We want to introduce the Wheaton College community to a heritage that we are proud of," he said.

The name Sawa is particularly meaningful because of the group's commitment to fellowship for all students with connections to this geographical region. Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, third culture kids from the region and North American students who are ethnically Middle Eastern or North African have all come together this year, to, in George's words, "create a place where students who are incoming know where they belong."

"A lot of people are at different places in their identity," Mikhail said. "We just wanted to have a space for everyone, regardless of where they are with their own identity and journey, to have a space to come together, celebrate what we have in common."

Tense political climates have made MENA student associations increasingly pragmatic organizations for Middle Eastern students in Christian universities, especially since 9/11 and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

George remembered multiple occasions where someone on campus, ostensibly forgetting Wheaton students' shared statement of Christian faith, asked her if she was Muslim because she is "from the Middle East" or "Arab."

Other concerns, like surveys that consider those of Middle Eastern descent to be "white," including in Wheaton's enrollment surveys, have also motivated the formal organizing of a student association. The racial category "white" has included those from Middle Eastern descent in the past, but there have been movements for a separate "Middle Eastern" category to better reflect racial identity, such as in the U.S. Census.

"We know that Wheaton has worked a lot on recruiting Black, Asian and Hispanic students, and we think that's great. We just also want to be included," Mikhail said.

"We hope that by existing, we will educate assumptions made about the Middle East," Mikhail said, "addressing those harmful stereotypes that plague not only our Christians but the Arab community as a whole."

In this spirit, Sawa plans to provide students with a community that feels like home, and "to create this kind of place where students who are incoming know where they belong," George said.