Belsem Aljobory

Chapter E-board, OMEP

Belsem Aljobory is the Middle East Editor at The Onero Institute, where she co-directs the Middle East team and previously served as President of the GW Chapter. She is an undergraduate at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs (Class of 2027). She majors in international affairs with a concentration in the Middle East. Her work focuses on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East and South Asia, and draws on her Iraqi and Pakistani heritage.

Belsem founded As We Rise Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates girls in Pakistan through local women educators. Her research on girls’ education in Pakistan earned a GW Undergraduate Research Award. She also received the Shapiro Traveling Fellowship for research in Zambia. She is presenting a paper at the 2026 Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Annual Meeting, where she also serves as a panel chair. She previously worked at the Embassy of Iraq in Washington, D.C., and plans to pursue graduate study in law and international policy.