When she came to Birmingham-Southern as a first-year student, Meryem Tunagur ’17 knew she was interested in education and the arts, but she didn’t know what that would look like. She did, however, load her schedule with all the upper-level education, theatre, and psychology courses she could take and began to explore each of these passions and the ways they intersected.

As the community engagement manager for the Birmingham Education Foundation, Tunagur now pulls from her studies at BSC daily as she works to align the foundation’s mission with the goals of Birmingham City Schools and the greater community.

“Over the course of three years, I have worked to bring together large, diverse groups of community members, partners, school staff, and most importantly students and their families,” she says.

Tunagur was involved in departments and organizations across campus as a student, and she sees all of those experiences impacting her work now. She explored the subjects she was interested in and designed her education to fit her goals through a contracted major in theatre and educational psychology. With this combination of classes, Tunagur researched how theatre can be a therapeutic practice for children and adults with disabilities. She also had the opportunity to contract some of her own courses, including a theatre exploration class, “Theatre’s Call to Action,” with Dr. Alan Litsey.

“I realized how important it is for members of marginalized communities to have a platform to tell their stories,” Tunagur says. “I also realized that as a white Muslim woman, I could utilize my privilege and skills in theatre to elevate the voices of marginalized individuals. I began to understand and lean into the urgency I felt instead of standing by. That’s what led me into the education nonprofit field.”

At BSC, she developed her leadership skills as a resident advisor, community coordinator, a member of Chi Omega, and the founding president of the Cross Cultural Committee (C3). Her interests she was exploring in the classroom – empowering and building community, powerful storytelling, and advocacy – were strengthened by her leadership on campus. C3 is now one of BSC’s most active student organizations and hosts events focused on diversity and inclusion throughout the year.

Tunagur with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Ramsay High School’s Keion Gilmore.

Tunagur first joined the Birmingham Education Foundation (known as Ed) after graduation as an AmeriCorps Vista program specialist. In this first year, she brought her training in classroom management and curriculum writing to the organization, which aims to increase the number of Birmingham City School students on the path to college, career, and life readiness.

In fall 2018, she transitioned into her new position and focused on Ed’s role in the Birmingham community. She has launched several community information campaigns to keep up with the needs and experiences of Birmingham City students and families. This part of her job has continued during the pandemic through virtually connecting with community members.

Tunagur has hosted multiple community-centered events, like Ed’s open mic night at Desert Island Supply Co. – a creative writing and arts center in Woodlawn – in 2019. Students, educators, parents, other attendees all had the chance to speak and perform.

“As an arts advocate, it was incredible to watch our students and community members share their talents and stories with us and the audience,” she says. “It was a full-circle moment for me as well, combining my passion for advocacy and storytelling.”

Tunagur is also featured in “All In,” a documentary created by Ed and Birmingham-based studio 1504 that takes a look into the life of Birmingham City Schools. Filmed during the 2018-2019 school year, the documentary captures the experience of students, educators, and parents, as well as the process of Ed’s community engagement campaign. It premiered at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Cinema this summer.

“I think now was the perfect time to release the film, because COVID really heightened the theme outlined in the documentary,” she says.

Tunagur is driven, dedicated to Ed’s mission, and stands out as an influential leader in Birmingham in just four years after graduation. She says she’s recently been reflecting about her leadership experience and mentorship at BSC and how that’s impacted where she is now.

“Serving in a myriad of different leadership roles prepared me for my nonprofit work,” she says. “I can confidently say that my experiences and time at BSC shaped me into the leader and community member I am today, and I am forever grateful for the professors, staff, and students who showed me grace to discover myself, who believed in and encouraged me to pursue any and all of my passions.”

This story was included in a special education edition of From the Hilltop, Birmingham-Southern’s alumni email newsletter.

You can email [email protected] to get in touch with the Office of Alumni Engagement, learn about upcoming opportunities and events, and tell us more about you.