The Emerging Leader Award is presented to those alumni who have made a significant impact in their profession or community at large since graduation. This award honors alumni who graduated from 2011 to 2021.
2022 Honoree
Yasmina Benslimane ('17 BA)
Yasmina Benslimane is a feminist human rights defender with over 7 years of professional experience in human rights institutions, NGOs, and United Nations agencies in several countries. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Saint Louis University — Madrid and an M.A. in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Forced Migration and Refugee Protection Studies with the School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Highly skilled in advocacy, communications and media, human rights, policy analysis, research, writing, and public speaking, Yasmina speaks on social and global issues: gender equality, political participation, youth and women empowerment, forced migration, and peace-building. She is often invited by universities, radio stations, NGOs, UN Agencies, and youth-led initiatives to discuss a wide range of topics on webinars and international conferences. She has previously advised UNDP and UN Women regional offices in the Arab States, and currently serves as a board member of the Pan-African Institute of Municipal Development.
Benslimane is a trained UN Women peace-builder and a certified women empowerment coach, helping young women develop their skills for leadership. She is also the founder of Politics4Her, a feminist youth-led blog and movement encouraging the inclusive participation of young women and girls in politics. Through Politics4Her, she also serves our campus, providing many students professional experience in politics, international affairs and diplomacy.