OXFORD, Ohio — Some students who graduated this weekend say they’ve got some unfinished business after a string of pro-Palestinian protests.

What You Need To Know

  • Miami University graduate Jacky Linden protested the Israel-Hamas war as a student

  • Protesters have been putting pressure on the university to reveal any funding going to Israel
  • Linden said she plans to find a job in advocacy and continue to protest and push for divestment

“I’m feeling good. There’s a lot of mixed emotions,” Jacky Linden said. 

She’s getting ready for her first graduation ceremony after COVID took away her chance to walk the stage in high school.

“This is like my first graduation and then I’m also an international student, so American graduation is like a whole other level for us,” Linden said. 

She came from Europe to Ohio to study at Miami University in Oxford, majoring in diplomacy and Middle Eastern studies. She says she chose those majors because of what’s going on in Gaza. 

She’s been protesting the war in Gaza as a part of the student group, Students for Justice in Palestine.

“I grew up with Syrian refugees, and I just always wanted to know more about the Middle East,” Linden said. 

The group recently had a march that turned into an encampment at Miami University. It was an effort to put pressure on school staff to show any finances going to Israel.

“We’re not asking the university to make a big political statement. We’re just simply asking them to not give our taxpayer and tuition money to the bombs that literally killed children in Gaza,” Linden said. 

In Miami University’s latest statement, a spokesperson says in part that the university follows U.N. principles for responsible investment and does not have plans to change its investment strategy. It goes on to say that students are free to express themselves if they follow university restrictions.

Students stopped the pro-Palestinian protest camp for fear they’d lose scholarships, or in Linden’s case, get deported. It ended without incidents, but she says she’s not done.

“We knew this was going to be a long-haul effort. I didn’t think we were going to start this and in two years be done,” she said. 

She says after graduation, she hopes to be in the group as alumni and find a job in advocacy after standing up on campus.

“I mean, for me, being involved in this cause is a lifelong commitment. I’m going to continue being involved in organizing for Palestine and organizing in general for racial, social justice and so on,” Linden said. 

The Students for Justice in Palestine say they also plan to work over the summer and continue to meet with the university.