Zahira Aragon

Zahira Aragon supports the planning and execution of programs, events, and collaborative initiatives that strengthen the veteran and military-connected community on campus and beyond.

Before joining Columbia, Zahira built an interdisciplinary career across Europe, Asia, and the United States, spanning service design, communications, community engagement, and project coordination. Her work has focused on identifying friction between organizations and the people navigating them and developing practical strategies to improve clarity, workflows and participation.

She is currently a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Salamanca. Drawing on a decade of lived experience within the U.S. military community, her research examines military family life through the lens of mobility, material culture, and the built environment. 

Outside of CVTI, she serves as a Disaster Responder with the American Red Cross, co-chairs the Programs Committee at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and collaborates with the Anthropology Career Readiness Network. Zahira is also a former nationally ranked equestrian vaulter in Spain and an avid rock climber.