Sterling Heights immigrant finds her voice as advocate for linguistic justice

Mena Hannakachl, an OU major in professional and digital writing is among the recipients of the 2023 Oakland University Keeper of the Dream Award.

Culture

One of Mena Hannakachl’s writing professors once told her that to thrive in the real world, she would need to put the languages she learned while growing up in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates aside and conform to standard English.

She refused, and now she’s a scholar who advocates for linguistic justice and a mentor to other young writers who speak English as a second or third language.

Mena was only 4 years old when her family fled the unrest in Baghdad and moved to Dubai. Her father, who owned a successful small business, dreamed of life in America. In 2015, he moved his wife and their four children to Michigan.

Mena is now a junior majoring in professional and digital writing at Oakland University. She is a recipient of OU’s Keeper of the Dream Award Scholarship, which recognizes students demonstrating exceptional leadership through their involvement on campus by breaking down racial and cultural stereotypes and promoting racial understanding. “The same work I was told to put aside are the contributions that were celebrated and validated by the award,” she said. “I’ve come full circle.”

– Gina Joseph, The Macomb Daily