Meet the Members

Members of the Refugee Storytellers Collective are experts in their lived experiences. They can speak to the challenges displaced people face and the contributions they make to their communities.

Members of the Refugee Storytellers Collective are available for media interviews, talks, workshops, panels, and more.

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Kumari Pokhrel

Kumari Pokhrel is a nurse practitioner and has dedicated her life to producing change, ending racism, and promoting equality in healthcare. She enjoys gardening, cooking, reading books, and writing stories and poems.

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Liyah Babayan

Liyah Babayan is a social entrepreneur, speaker, author, and the first refugee to hold public office in the State of Idaho, serving as a School Board Trustee in Twin Falls, running for City Council and State Representative. She has received numerous Governor's service to community awards, Idaho's Hometown Hero Award including the ACLU’S Civil Rights Service Award. She enjoys nature, oil painting, cooking, reading, and playing time with her children.

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Lubab Al Quraishi

Lubab Al Quraishi is a licensed physician in Iraq and now works as a pathologist's assistant in New Jersey. She is an advocate for workforce inclusion.

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Lucky Karim

Lucky Karim is a Refugee and Human Rights Activist who has worked for a Number of International Humanitarian organizations and supported INGO to translate the needs of her community. She is also a young leader who works closely with Government officials and Policy makers on the Rohingya crisis and Burma more broadly.

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Maqdona Fetry

Maqdona Fetry holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Masters in Public Law from Kabul, Afghanistan. She recently completed a CompTIA ITF+ Certification course and is currently working towards a degree in General Studies. Maqdona is a passionate advocate for migrant rights, and is helping build a future based on empathy, deep understanding, and mutual respect.

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Mariia Yatsko

Mariia Yatsko is from Ukraine and works as an IDA Program Specialist at New American Pathways. She is a community builder and advocate, leading "Know Your Rights" workshops and meeting with Senators to elevate her community's voice. She is also a Civic Pathways Leader with the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies of Georgia.

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Matilda Issata Sawie

Matilda Issata Sawie is the Refugee Congress Delegate for Pennsylvania, the Refugee/Immigrant Tuberculosis Screening Coordinator at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and is completing her Master’s in Public Health. She is passionate about raising awareness for domestic violence, climate change, and refugee rights.

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Mawda Boulad

Mawda Boulad is a motivational leadership speaker and a young leader passionate about driving positive change. She is pursuing her degree in medicine, and advocates for refugee and immigrant rights.

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Muntaha Alhindi

Muntaha Alhindi is a social worker and advocate working for the Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance. She is deeply committed to making a positive impact and embracing multiculturalism.

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Nejra Sumic

Nejra Sumic is the National Field Manager for the We Are All America Campaign and the Arizona Delegate for Refugee Congress. She is fluent in English, Spanish, Bosnian, and several other dialects, and is proud to serve her community.

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Nurul Haque

Nurul Haque is a Rohingya genocide survivor. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resource Management. He is the Co-Founder and President of the Burmese Rohingya Student Union and has worked with UNV and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to advance justice for the Rohingya community. Nurul currently serves at the State of Oregon Department of Human Services.

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Olivé Bukuru Kabura

Olivé Bukuru is passionate about public health and education, which inspires her professional and volunteer work in her community. She provides free evidence-based health education on topics such as diabetes, heart disease, and vaccines, and helps her community better understand ways to protect themselves and live longer, healthier lives.

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Paneh Laloe

Paneh Laloe is a university student majoring in Business Management, an ambassador with Know Your Neighbor, and an Associate Delegate with Refugee Congress in Utah. She is also an ambassador and mentor with Women of the World. Having navigated the resettlement process and higher education pathways, Paneh is committed to helping organizations better support refugees.

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Peace Izabayo Nibagwize

Peace Izabayo Nibagwize is a mental health social worker and a passionate advocate for policy change. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cooking for the people she loves.

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Pierre Uwimana

Pierre Uwimana is a Refugee Organizer with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. He enjoys reading, riding his bike, playing with his children, and learning more about investment opportunities.

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Pyae Sone Aung

Pyae Sone Aung is an author and human rights and refugee advocate. He believes in the power of informed dialogue to bring about positive change and is committed to sharing his story and expertise in those conversations.

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Qudrat Wasefi

Qudrat Wasefi is a composer, trumpeter, poet, and educator from Afghanistan whose music builds a bridge between the Afghan and Western traditions. Through his compositions, he gives voice to social struggles and advocates for the rights of girls and women in his homeland.

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Radwan Ziadeh

Radwan Ziadeh is a Senior Fellow at the Arab Center, the founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in Syria; and co-founder and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C, an author, an activist, and holds a MA in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown University and MBA from William and Mary. He enjoys traveling, coaching, photography, and spending time with his wife and children.

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Nominate yourself or someone you know to become a member of the Collective. We accept nominations on a rolling basis and will be in touch for an initial interview.

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