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Askia Bilal has been an instructor with the Asian Affairs Center since 2018. He has 15 years of teaching experience. He completed his master's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages at St. Cloud State University and he taught for several years in the Middle East. Askia is also a working artist and holds a master's in fine arts from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He was recently an artist in residence at Orr Street Studios in the North Village Arts District and completed art projects for the 2022 True/False Film Festival.