In a time of peak political interest sparked by last year’s election, Sacramento State students have been standing up and making their voices heard through protests and activism.

Aya Khalifeh, a senior government-international relations major, first became politically active during her senior year of high school when she visited Palestine for the first time.

“I’ve always known about the history of Palestine but when I visited for the first time in the summer of 2013, I saw for myself what it really was and it really kicked me in the gut,” Khalifeh said. “That’s when I started picking this political activism persona up for myself and started living through it and making it a lifestyle.”

For Khalifeh, bringing awareness to social issues is her biggest motivation when attending protests. Attendance alone can send a powerful message, she said.

“I’m a firm believer in showing up, in fighting for what needs to be fought for,” Khalifeh said. “A lot of issues that we are facing now in the world don’t get enough attention — we’re not holding people accountable for what they are or aren’t doing.”

When it comes to choosing an issue she is most passionate about, Khalifeh keeps it straightforward and simple.

“Human rights — basic human rights that absolutely everyone deserves and that (it’s) very rare people are getting, when we actually put it into perspective” Khalifeh said.

As for Amer Tere, a senior electrical engineering major, political activism is something he has participated in for almost his whole life.

“I remember going to protests as a kid,” Tere. “I can’t say that I go to every single protest I see, but some things I just can’t pass up”.

Moving to Germany with his family as refugees and then immigrating to America as a baby has given Tere a personal experience that motivates him to be politically active.

“I want to identify with the people that are being oppressed and give a voice to the voiceless,” Tere said. “It’s a part of who I am.”

Some issues hit more personally than others for Tere. Genocide, specifically, is something that he passionately fights against.

“Anything concerning genocide is something that really strikes home because my people were subjected to it,” Tere said. “When you look at something like what’s happening in Aleppo, it’s not being labeled as a genocide, but if you read between the lines it becomes very apparent what the situation is becoming.”

Tere said that living in California allows people to have access to high profile protests and gives them an opportunity to become politically active.

“Whether it’s (a protest) that is just an hour and half away in San Francisco, or something here at the State Capitol, there’s always something you can get involved in,” Tere said.

Tere, who helped organize the recent ‘No Ban, No Wall’ protest here on campus, believes that Sac State has the potential of evolving into a more politically active campus if students came together more often to fight for the same issues.

“If we had several events that people were really passionate about as a community then you might start seeing activism being bred here rather than being brought in,” Tere said. “It’s not about (a protest) being the right time and place, it’s about making it the right time and place.”

While some students are focusing on racial issues, others are fighting for gender equality.

Mallory Stevens, a senior sociology major, said that she is passionate about the fight for women’s rights. Stevens credits her mother for helping her to understand issues at an early age.

“I was raised by a feminist mother so women’s rights have always been a big thing for me,” Stevens said. “But I would definitely say personal experience has opened my eyes as well.”

For Stevens, being personally victimized has made her much more aware of the issues affecting women, specifically in the workplace.

“I was sexually harassed at my last job by a male manager who ended up not getting fired whereas other women were getting fired for less serious circumstances,” Stevens said. “I know other people are going through it but it’s (another) thing when you go through it yourself.”

Stevens joined thousands of other women in the Women’s March on Sacramento on Jan. 21, as well as a protest supporting Planned Parenthood. She said that protesting allows her to not only fight for herself but for others as well.

“A lot of what is happening in the world has motivated me to go out and take stand for what I personally believe in, which is obviously women’s rights,” Stevens said. “Fighting for my loved ones, myself and women everywhere.”