SXU Adjunct Professor Receives 2026 Muslim Bar Association Trailblazer Award
Saint Xavier University (SXU) Middle Eastern studies adjunct professor Nina-Shoman Dajani, Ed.D., was recently named the recipient of the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Muslim Bar Association (MBA) of Chicago.
As an educator and mentor in the Arab American community, Dajani has spent years advocating and leading. Her community work includes serving as executive director of the Chicago Palestine Film Festival. She previously sat on boards for a refugee resettlement organization and the Association of Arab American Studies. She has also published reports on the Arab American Muslim community and conducted research on Arab American college students.
"To have been chosen for this recognition was humbling but also reaffirming. As a daughter of immigrants who was a first-generation college student, I hope my work in service of students and the community sets an example for others to follow. I might have received the 'Trailblazer Award,' but I also recognize there are trailblazers who paved paths for me to get to where I am now. I am deeply grateful to the Muslim Bar Association for valuing the work of educators and community advocates," Dajani said.
While also an assistant dean of Learning Enrichment and College Readiness at Moraine Valley Community College, Dajani has spent about a decade teaching Middle Eastern studies at SXU. Her goals in the classroom include helping students understand the long history of immigration from the Middle East to the U.S. and the contributions of those from the region. She also wants her students to walk away with knowledge of the diversity of people from the Middle East and gain an appreciation for Middle Eastern culture and traditions.
"One of the things that stands out to me about SXU is the welcoming environment on campus. My passion for teaching Middle Eastern studies led me to Dr. Iman Saca, who was the director of Middle Eastern studies when I started teaching at SXU about a decade ago. I worked with Dr. Saca to create expanded course offerings for the minor and have had the opportunity to teach a variety of Middle Eastern studies classes over the last 10 years," Dajani said.
One of Dajani's favorite parts of teaching SXU students is how diverse they are. She also appreciates their curiosity to learn about the lived experiences of those who may not share the same background as they do. Dajani loves to see the growth of her students by the end of each semester and strives to keep in touch with the ones who move on to graduate.
"Seeing the transformation my students make over the course of a semester in their understanding of Middle Eastern communities is the most rewarding part of teaching. I also find it rewarding when I witness students move on after graduation and accomplish their goals. Many of them keep in touch, and I have written many recommendation letters over the years," Dajani said.
Saint Xavier University offers an interdisciplinary Middle Eastern studies minor that focuses on the Middle East and North Africa. The program features coursework, study abroad opportunities, community partnerships, and introductory classes that explore the historical and cultural issues surrounding Arab Americans.