Dr. Rhina El-Amin centers her career on community, education, and collaboration. Originally from the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, New York, she is a proud first-generation college graduate and a passionate advocate for cultivating belonging and connection in higher education. During her tenure at SNF Paideia, Dr. El-Amin launched the Paideia Ambassador Program and the Dialogue & Engagement Grant, supported through the generous funding of the Penn Fund. Through these initiatives, she has created student-centered opportunities that empower undergraduates to design and lead dialogue-focused programming. She also established the Alumni Fellows Mentorship Program, providing Paideia Fellows with meaningful intergenerational connections and guidance.
Dr. El-Amin holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education and a Master of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, and she earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, “Roots to Routes: How Black and Latinx Students and the Staff Who Support Them Use Cultural Wealth to Create Belonging,” examines belonging as both an individual and collective process—sustained through advocacy, shaped by resilience, and strengthened through partnerships between students and staff.
With over a decade of experience in higher education, Dr. El-Amin brings deep expertise in student-centered advising and the development of inclusive, community-driven programs. Prior to her work at SNF Paideia, she held leadership roles at Buffalo State University, Mercyhurst University, Penn’s College Houses and Academic Services, and the Wharton School’s MBA Program. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Mercyhurst’s Booker T. Washington College and at Northeast Community College.