Courtney Graves is the North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies Coordinator as of January 2025. Her experience in an exchange program to Egypt while in high school piqued her interest in Arabic. She then began working in Arabic language education as a student in the Arabic Flagship Program at UT Austin. Courtney received an MA in Near Eastern Studies at New York University and completed an MA in Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. She reflects on her position with the Consortium as a way to serve both community and academia. Courtney is specifically interested in expanding language resources and awareness of the Middle East to diverse communities throughout North Carolina. While building community and exploring both delicious food (especially fried chicken biscuits) and peaceful nature in the Chapel Hill area, her tie to the Northeast finds her always plotting a visit to the sea.