Mariam is currently a first-year law student at the University of Alabama School of Law. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 2004. While at Georgetown, she served as a teaching assistant and worked for the U.S. Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General. After college, Mariam was recruited by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the Pat Roberts Defense Community Scholars Fellowship where she spent two years studying intensive Arabic, Farsi, and Dari in Washington, D.C. and throughout the Middle East. Upon completion of her studies, she served as a Middle East regional desk officer for DoD. Originally from California, Mariam is currently learning to speak football (“Roll Tide!”). She enjoys traveling to remote corners of the globe and is quite possibly the world's biggest Hall & Oates fan. You can e-mail Mariam at mgillis@lawschooldems.org.