Graduate Council welcomes new student representative Asra Akhlaq

Asra Akhlaq is the current Student Senate representative on the Graduate Council. She is a second year M.S. biological sciences student working in the Lee Lab studying host/pathogen interactions as they relate to L. pneumophila—a bacteria known for causing Legionnaire's Disease.

Akhlaq can track her affinity for science back to when she was a kid. “I have always been curious, skeptical, and imaginative,” she said. “Science, to me, is the purest pursuit of knowledge—it is the systematic, empirical investigation of natural phenomenon without bias.” She chose to pursue a graduate education at Wayne State University to learn more and become a professor who inspires the next generation of scientists.

She applied to become a senator for the opportunity to be a voice for her peers and is excited to serve on the Graduate Council for the same reason.

“It is an immense responsibility to represent graduate students and it is a responsibility that I do not take lightly,” she said. “I aspire to use my voice to advocate for my fellow graduate peers and to make sure that they are well respected and well heard.”

She hopes to create and change policy on campus regarding graduate student issues as they relate to mental health, research, mentorship opportunities and career development.

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