Arian comes to Generation Citizen after years of working with under-resourced and vulnerable communities, from unhoused populations, to Title I students, to neighborhoods lacking adequate green space. After several years working in social research and non-profit program management, Arian joined a local public school district to oversee a three-year, federally funded research grant designed to extend knowledge about participatory learning in K-12 education. This project, which reached over 400 students from diverse backgrounds, introduced new pedagogies, improved equity and accessibility in the district, and increased student persistence, engagement, and overall academic achievement. The project framework has since been adopted district-wide.

Being a part of Generation Citizen has given Arian the opportunity to bring together several of her passions – supporting teachers and students, building our democracy, and fighting for equity-centered systems and resources. She is particularly excited about increasing civic engagement in her home state of Oklahoma, where voter turnout and participation in democratic practices is frequently well below the national average.

Arian received her BA and MA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma. When not working, she is busy chasing two young children, volunteering for local organizing efforts, and trying to spend as much time outside as possible.