Viraj Patel

Viraj Patel is the inaugural Director of the Asian American Student Academic Program. She holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Asian American Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Education from the University of Vermont, and is completing her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in Higher Education. With over a decade of experience in higher education, she has held a variety of positions focusing on residential life, multicultural affairs, graduate student affairs, student activities, academic advising, and off campus student affairs. Passionate about public service and community engagement, Viraj serves on the Advisory Council for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) and has been involved with numerous community organizing initiatives. In her free time, Viraj enjoys spending time with her tuxedo cat, Jalebi, trying new recipes for her food Instagram (@chaikhakhratime), going for a run, or enjoying a cup of tea with friends. Viraj’s passion and commitment for social justice drives her work both in and out of the borders of higher education and she is thrilled to serve the UIC community and AASAP.