2026 Inspiring Grad | Mutazz Jaber

Mutazz Jaber will become the ninth member of his family to graduate from The University of New Mexico this spring as he walks across the stage with a double major in political science and psychology.

Jaber, who lost his father during his freshman year, used his memory as motivation to get involved on campus.

"I didn't have any strive to do anything, but entering my sophomore year I decided to get involved and actually make a difference," Jaber said. "My father was an immigrant from Palestine and he and my mom built such an amazing life for me and my siblings and I thought how privileged of me to throw that all away because I'm grieving. I decided to not let his legacy be in vain."

"I've always wanted to do a congressional internship. I have always been interested in government, that's my true calling. Doing something like that never felt in the cards for me, I never expected to get into an internship that was so sought after."

- Mutazz Jaber

Jaber feels a drive to not only represent his family but the Palestinian people as a whole.

"As a Palestinian American I wear two hats," he said. "I was born and raised here, I'm as American as they come, but I also know that my blood is Palestinian. I want to represent them proudly and reach all my achievements with them on my back."

Jaber would begin his involvement with ASUNM as a senator before going on to become vice president during his junior year. After being able to lean on his support system following the loss of his father, he set out to make sure that ASUNM could serve as a resource for those who might not have that support system built in.

"That's really what I focused a lot of my work on," he said. "Making sure that ASUNM was accessible to those who hadn't used it before. That was my main priority."

In the fall of his senior year, Jaber was selected for the Fred Harris Congressional Internship, which allows students to spend a semester to Washington D.C. working in the office of a member of New Mexico's congressional delegation. In Jaber's case, he worked in the office of Senator Martin Heinrich.

"I've always wanted to do a congressional internship," he said. "I have always been interested in government, that's my true calling. Doing something like that never felt in the cards for me, I never expected to get into an internship that was so sought after. I ended up applying and getting the internship, which was amazing, that was such a thrilling moment for me. It was the most formative experience of my life."

With a long-term goal of going to law school, Jaber will first attend George Washington University in pursuit of a master's in governmental relations after seeing first-hand how communication shapes everything that occurs in government.

"Going to D.C. and learning that communication is really the key to getting anything done," he said. "I'm very excited to learn more about that."

As Jaber prepares to graduate, he does so in large part because of the influence of his mother.

"I talked a lot about my dad, but my mom has been my absolute rock, she's taught me everything I know," he said. "She's literally a rockstar, so resilient and so smart and I feel like I owe it to her to continue my education. I'm really excited, just trying to make my momma proud."