Mohammed Ziny
MOHAMMED ZINY: FROM PURDUE TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
On February 9, 2020, Mohammed Ziny found himself on a stage in Keene, New Hampshire. A shy person at heart, Ziny addressed thousands of supporters of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. It was two days before the New Hampshire primary.
The son of immigrant parents from Syria, Ziny majored in Political Science and minored in Religious Studies and Human Rights at Purdue University. Shaped by the discrimination he faced in the months after the September 11th attacks on the United States, Mohammed “developed an early love and passion for studying history, cultures, and religions” and eventually a “fascination and acute interest in politics and the law.”
At Purdue, his work was supported by a Presidential Scholarship and two Wilke Research Internships. The Wilke Program “pairs a faculty research project with a student partner.” Mohammed’s Wilke work focused on climate change and immigration.
Ziny’s years at Purdue also included stints with the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus and the Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement located on the university’s campus.
Under the leadership of Professor of Political Science Robert Browning and former C-SPAN senior executive producer Connie Doebele, the Center “focuses on discovery, learning, and engagement using the C-SPAN Archives.” One of Mohammed’s roles at the Center was to work with a Political Science faculty member developing material that could be used in the classroom.
During his final year at Purdue, Ziny threw himself into campaigning. He served as a Field Organizer in New Hampshire and Florida, and worked on a congressional primary campaign in Indiana. His work eventually led him to Arizona where he was the Regional Get Out the Vote Director for the Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign.
Mohammed Ziny filled his days at Purdue to the brim. For Ziny, "Purdue's political science program offered me countless opportunities to participate in world-class research being done at the University, and brought students of all disciplines together to discuss the political and economic issues of today."
His next step is law school and, who knows, continued involvement in the rough-and-tumble of politics.