
Shazia Iftkhar, PhD, MSS(C) (She, Her, Hers)
Graduate Level Intern
MSS Candidate
A South Asian immigrant, I came to the U.S. for college, only to realize that I had taken on much more than an education—I had to adjust to a new culture and the ways I was evolving myself. Ever interested in the human condition, I completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in journalism, and a doctorate in mass communication, and embarked upon research on race, gender, religion, and citizenship, including how the media played a role in constructing meanings around identity and difference.
After my first career as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, I realized that while the intellectual work was rewarding, my true calling was to support and nurture people of color, with particular attention to Asian and Asian American communities. To serve this mission, I enrolled and am progressing in the master’s program at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College. My clinical interests include migration and acculturation, generational differences, identity and self-image, and anxiety and depression.
I bring all my knowledge and experience to bear in this new calling, and my approach to clinical work is informed by intersectionality, cultural sensitivity, collaboration with clients to address their needs, and an awareness of the role that culture and migration play in identity and acculturation. Most of all, I believe that the great diversity of Asians and Asian Americans must be celebrated and each of us supported in charting and navigating our lives.
Education
Bryn Mawr College - Graduate Social Work