Yasmeen Gauri is the undergraduate student winner of the 2022 Iris Marion Young Political Engagement Award. See more here. 

I am a fourth-year honors student on the pre-medical track with majors in Psychology and Religious Studies, minors in Chemistry and Studio Arts, and the Honors Degree. I use she/her/hers pronouns. I chose to major in Religious Studies in order to learn about the historical, philosophical, and anthropological aspects of the different religious traditions in my extended family. In my future career as a physician, I hope to use my knowledge of Religious Studies to inform how I provide care to patients of different backgrounds. I love the Religious Studies Major at Pitt because it has a cluster of classes focused on “Religion, Medicine, and the Body,” which allow me to explore how Religious Studies will be relevant to my career. The Major also offers opportunities for personalized, accessible advising and a senior capstone project.

Outside of academics, I am a part-time Medical Assistant in Penn Hills, the Senior Director of the Pitt chapter of Strong Women Strong Girls, a member of Phi Delta Epsilon medical fraternity, and a peer reviewer for the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review. I also do psychiatry research focused on LGBTQ+ experiences with Dr. Kristen Eckstrand. Recently, I organized a panel in the Pitt 2022 Diversity Forum entitled “Understanding Girls’ Experiences in the Classroom” (you can it watch here); my presentation focused on the state of sex education in PA school systems. In my free time, I love to do yoga and hammock in Schenley Park.