President Obama to Honor Monmouth Grad as “Champion of Change”

Monmouth CollegeA recent college graduate from the area will be honored by President Barack Obama this Thursday at the White House. Monmouth College grad Mariela Shaker has been named a “Champion of Change,” by the President himself.

Shaker, who graduated this past year, is an accomplished violinist. She is being recognized for her use of music to highlight a path of healing for refugees in her native country of Syria.

A reception and panel will highlight her accomplishments in connection with World Refugee Day, which took place June 20th.

Shaker will be one of nine to be honored as a “Champion of Change” this Thursday. The White House has described the accolade as an award for “ordinary Americans who are doing extraordinary things to out-innovate the rest of the world.”
Shaker began playing the violin at age ten through the Arabic Institute of Music and taught the violin for five years at the school.

Most recently, the violinist performed to a standing-room only crowd at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.

Shaker successfully applied for asylum in the United States when she received a scholarship in 2013 to attend Monmouth College. She holds a bachelors degree in Music Performance.

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