Meet Komal Kumar: 2022-23 Caste Project Intern

Meet our 2022-23 Caste Project Intern, Komal Kumar!

What do you want people to know about you?

Hello! My name is Komal (she/her), and I am a coterm student in Sustainability Science and Practice. With roots in Panjab, “the land of five rivers'', I grew up in San Francisco and the East Bay. In undergrad, I studied Political Science and South Asian Studies, while studying abroad at Oxford and pursuing community-based research and public service opportunities in education. After completing my master’s, I hope to work at the intersection of human rights, public health, and environmental sustainability. One of my favorite hobbies is dancing! I am part of the Stanford bhangra team and find community in the Sikh Student Association. I also love cooking, going on long drives, and reading memoirs! 

What are you interested in accomplishing as the Caste Project Intern?

I look forward to developing my understanding of anti-caste activism in the Bay Area by learning from peers, faculty, and community organizations. I aim to work as a book ambassador for Thenmozhi Soundararajan’s new book The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition. I hope to collaborate with students, staff, and faculty to advance the movement for caste protections at Stanford. I want to support events that center intersectional anti-caste discourse and highlight radical social justice movements. I am committed to engaging with histories of anti-caste activism and building long-term relationships with community partners!