Mais is a Palestinian from Nazareth in the West Bank who graduated from Bard College with a degree in Human Rights and Classical Music Performance.

She also graduated from the Artist Diploma Program at the Barenboim Said Akademie in Berlin.Mais has interned and worked with various NGOs committed to Palestinian issues and the field of human rights, including Adalah, PEN America, and the Polyphony Foundation. Mais has also worked at the United Nations, initially with a Security Council NGO, and subsequently at the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine.

In addition to her career in public service, Mais is a professional classical flutist. She tours internationally with various orchestras and ensembles in renowned concert venues, amongst them Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Berlin State Opera, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Vienna Konzerthaus, and Mariinsky Theatre.

Mais is currently completing her Master’s of Public Policy at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin with the help of the Bseisu Foundation.

Hertie School of Governance is a private university in Berlin that prepares students for leadership positions in government, business and civil society. Mais chose the Hertie School of Governance because it has an interdisciplinary approach – like at universities in the US, you have the freedom to choose a lot of your classes. Mais also wanted to live in a metropolitan and politically engaged city like Berlin where art and policy are at its centre.