Gokh Alshaif grew up in Arvin, California, a small farming community on the outskirts of the San Joaquin Valley.  In 2014, she earned her bachelors degree from California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) in Political Science and Religious Studies. During her time as a McNair scholar at CSUB, she researched Arab public opinion of America between the years of 2001 and 2012. In 2011, and coincidently the first summer of the Arab Spring, she received the ICE-ACE research grant to further study Arab public opinion in Jordan.  After completing her research, Gokh decided to study a topic closer to home, shifting her research attention to issues of gender and education. As Yemeni-American females themselves, she and her research partner Noor Qwfan became interested in understanding what factors contributed to the educational opportunities—or lack of opportunities—a Yemeni-American female received, and so began working on a project titled Daughters of Sojourners: The Yemeni-American Female’s Experience in Education. Her experience as a Yemeni female has influenced Gokh’s decision to focus on development in the Middle East, with a specific focus on issues concerning women, children, and education.