Word: khalil
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Rumors have surrounded Mona A. Khalil '88 for as long as she has been at Harvard. When her name comes up in conversation, one may discover she is a member of "Arab royalty," her father is an oil sheik or that she has a personal body guard. Khalil, however, laughs at these suggestions, seeming genuinely surprised that anyone would fabricate or believe such fanciful stories. Brushing aside these tales, Khalil and her friends portray her as a typical Harvard student, not the pretentious, exclusive person she is rumored...
...surprising that an aura of mystery follows Khalil. Even those close to her realize she has a certain air which sets her apart from other students. "In a way, she's larger than life. You know, very beautiful, long hair, very smart. She's just one of those people," says John H. Lesher '88 of his friend Khalil...
...Harvard, where talent is not always widely recognized for its true worth, Khalil's list of accomplishments only partially accounts for her mystique. In her four years at Harvard, she has chaired the Adams House Committee, served on the Undergraduate Council for two years, risen to the ranks of officer in the Hasty Pudding Club, and founded the Arab Students Association and the Arab-Jewish Dialogue. And all the while, Khalil, who accepted sophomore standing upon entering Harvard, has earned not only an honors B.A. in Government, but also a masters in Middle Eastern Studies...
...high visibility is perhaps what contributes the most to Khalil's campus reputation. Synonomous with her name is a way of college life easier to describe than to define: a facon de vivre centered around Adams House, wearing black and the late night smoke-filled scenes at Tommy's Lunch and the Cafe Pamplona. Khalil jokes that she spends "half my life" at Tommy's and her striking appearance makes her one of the most well-known members of a sub-community, which includes Adams residents and international students, who follow her lead...
Born of Palestinian blood and raised in an American compound in Saudi Arabia, Khalil is accustomed to being different from those around her. Her father works for Aramco, the Arabian-American oil company, and her mother is a housewife. Growing up in the compound, Khalil escaped many of the strictures that Saudi Arabia imposes on women. Life at the compound acquainted her with Western ways that eased her transition into her California boarding school...