Delaney McDermott (MPP/MPH ‘27) holds a BA in comparative cultures and politics from Michigan State University. During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded the Gliozzo Scholarship for Muslim Studies and the Ronald Dorr Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Writing. Following graduation, McDermott’s Lebanese heritage and passion for advocacy led her to ACCESS, the largest Arab American nonprofit in the United States. At ACCESS, she worked to improve voter education, accessibility, and election protection for Michigan’s Arab American communities.

Later, at the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), McDermott played a key role in the “Count MENA In” campaign, which helped to achieve the historic, first-ever inclusion of a "Middle Eastern and North African" (MENA) category in U.S. federal racial and ethnic data collection. While at the Ford School, McDermott is eager to develop her quantitative skills and continue her advocacy, focusing on local-level policy that will benefit marginalized communities in Michigan. In her personal life, she enjoys reading and is learning Tatreez, the Palestinian art of cross-stitch embroidery, which embodies cultural resilience and storytelling.