'Lifelong student,' Bowdoin College grad to work for State Department
"My family lived through that system, and going through that and seeing how it's successful, and how it can work for people, and [we've been] interacting with international organizations since we were young," said Kilani, who was born in Jordan but resettled in Portland in 2009.
Kilani, a Bowdoin computer science major and government minor, received the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship, which will fund him through two years of graduate school at Columbia University and culminate in a placement at the State Department.
Kilani's undergraduate experience took him to Peru, Denmark and Washington, D.C., and down to Arizona to learn about the Mexico-U.S. border.
Kilani said hands-on programs, like Bowdoin's Public Service in Washington trips and a summer internship at the State Department, further solidified his interest in diplomacy.
"Being able to work with diplomats and combine my passion for service work, for learning languages, for meeting new people — it was really the intersection of all of that," Kilani said.
Kilani has worked with the McKeen Center for the Common Good throughout his time in college and traveled to Peru in 2022 with the program. There, he taught English, helped renovate a school for disadvantaged children and built a fundraising campaign to help residents sell alpaca wool.
His love for language has also served him well as an alumni ambassador at the Portland-based youth writing organization, The Telling Room, which he also attended as a high school student.
Wendy Van Damme, associate director for public service at the McKeen Center, said Kilani's "good judgement, thoughtful guidance and commitment to excellence" have strengthened the center's programs and "inspired many students to explore public service."
"Khalil served as a summer intern at the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the office that years ago supported his own family's journey," Van Damme said. "He is pursuing a career in diplomacy, which will use his skills as much as his kindness. Through everything he does, Khalil reminds us that a life in service to others is both possible and powerful."
Batool Khattab, Bowdoin Arabic professor, noted that Kilani also won the college's Prize for Excellence in Arabic this year.
"I have known Khalil since his first year at Bowdoin, when he enrolled in my Elementary Arabic class," Khattab said. "Over the years, I've seen him grow into a focused and capable young man, ready to take on opportunities beyond college. Khalil has shown consistent dedication to both his academic work and his extracurricular responsibilities."
At Columbia, Kilani will earn his master's of international affairs with a focus on international security and diplomacy. Traveling the world and learning about new cultures for a living is like staying in school forever, Kilani said.
"I love being a lifelong student," Kilani said.
Kilani was set to graduate along with a class of 520 students on May 24. Commencement took place on the Main Quad at Bowdoin. This year's honorary degree recipients were Michele Cyr, the former chairperson of the Bowdoin College Board of Trustees and Jeremy Frey, a Passamaquoddy basket weaver.
Presenting the commencement addresses were poet and 2025 graduate Weatherspoon — the recipient of the Goodwin Commencement Prize — and graduate Carina Lim-Huang, who won the Class of 1868 Prize for her speech.
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A teacher in England who was fired after being accused of an Islamaphobic post on Facebook has launched a legal action. Simon Pearson taught English to foreign students at Preston College, in Lancashire, when he said a social media post that led to a woman being handed a 15-month prison sentence after she was convicted of inciting racial hatred was "obviously wrong" but she "should not have been jailed." He was dismissed after an internal investigation found that his post had the potential to bring the college into disrepute and has now filed legal action with an employment tribunal. A file photo shows a Facebook logo on a laptop. A file photo shows a Facebook logo on a laptop. AP Why It Matters Pearson's fate has sparked sharp criticism from free speech advocates and reignited broader debates around freedom of expression in Britain. Critics argue that speech policing, especially on social media, increasingly leads to employment repercussions, even when comments are made outside the workplace and express personal beliefs. Elon Musk has repeatedly criticized the U.K.'s approach to regulating speech on social media, particularly in the context of arrests related to online comments. "At this rate, the UK Government will pretty soon be executing people for liking a meme!" he posted on X, formerly Twitter, in January. The U.S. State Department has previously spoken out about the same case as Pearson, saying in May that is was "concerned about infringements on freedom of expression." What To Know Pearson, 56, was fired after he posted a comment about Lucy Connolly, a woman jailed for racially inflammatory comments in the wake of the Southport riots—nationwide unrest triggered by the murder of three girls during a dance class and misinformation about the suspect being an asylum seeker. Connolly, the wife of a local Conservative Party politician, wrote on X: "Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care…if that makes me racist so be it." She was convicted of inciting racial hatred, handed a 31-month sentence and ordered to serve 40 percent of it behind bars in October 2024. Pearson wrote in a Facebook comment that while Connolly's post was "obviously wrong," she "should not have been jailed" and said this was part of "two tier policy from the top down." The phrase "two-tier policing" has become a politically charged accusation in the U.K., often used to criticize perceived inconsistencies in how law enforcement handles speech, protest, or criminal behavior depending on the race, religion, or political identity of the individuals involved. Critics of "two-tier policing" argue that authorities are more lenient toward minority groups—particularly in cases involving Islamist or pro-Palestinian demonstrators, while opponents argue that this framing often serves as a dog whistle, disguising racial resentment or Islamophobia under the banner of fairness and justice. A Muslim representative of the National Education Union at Preston College made a formal complaint about Pearson's post accusing it of being "Islamophobic" and "racially discriminatory." This triggered the investigation that ended in Pearson being fired. He is now claiming wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. "I cannot allow what has happened to me to go unchallenged. It is a grave injustice that should concern everybody who cares about freedom," he told the British newspaper The Telegraph. "I am determined to fight for justice and for the freedom to raise legitimate concerns in public and private as part of national debates on extremely serious issues that impact us all." Newsweek has contacted Preston College, via email, for comment. What People Are Saying Simon Pearson's full Facebook comment: "The woman who made that appalling comment about the mosque in Southport is obviously wrong. But where is the jail sentence for the Labour MP calling for people to have their throats slit. Where is the justice meted out against those thugs who beat up the police at Manchester airport? She should not have been jailed for that. People presumed the worst and were outraged by the killing of three little girls. "It was wrong but how many Islamists plots and crimes have been experienced in our country. The Manchester Arena bombing, Lee Rigby, etc... Certain sections of society calling for the genocide of Jews from the river to the sea are also free to express their opinions and make Jewish people afraid to walk the streets. "There is a two tier policy from the top down. Has our country's woke leadership lost its mind? Should we be seeking asylum in America?" Founder of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young of Acton said: "The most striking aspect of this case is that the teacher was sacked at the behest of the NEU. Once upon a time, trade unions used to stick up for workers threatened with the sack for speaking out of turn. Now, they side with management and actively try to get workers sacked, including their dues-paying members." Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service, Frank Ferguson, said about the Connolly case: "Using threatening, abusive or insulting language to rile up racism online is unacceptable and is breaking the law." The U.S. State Department commented on the Connolly case in May, saying: "We can confirm that we are monitoring this matter. The United States supports freedom of expression at home and abroad, and remains concerned about infringements on freedom of expression." What Happens Next An employment tribunal will decide whether Pearson's dismissal was fair and lawful. A date for the hearing has yet to be confirmed. The case comes amid wider debate over free speech rights in the U.K., particularly as public figures such as Musk have expressed concern about government responses to social media posts.
