Name: Zara Raheem

Recipient Year: 2018

Description: Zara Raheem is an MFA graduate in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English Literature and a single-subject teaching credential from California State University, Fullerton. As a part of her MFA thesis, she wrote a collection of short stories centered around the South Asian diaspora, the Muslim-American experience, and the struggles and hardships faced by first and second generation immigrants. Her debut novel, The Marriage Clock, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in 2019.

School Name: Cal State Long Beach

Major: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Sponsor: UC Irvine Muslim Alumni Association