Meet the Advocates of 2018

Halima Hersi

Works as a part-time activity leader for Harmonium. She has been a volunteer as a teachers assistant for different charter schools. She recently got her Associates Degree in English. She plans on getting her Bachelors Degree in English-Single Subject Teaching and intends to teach English abroad. Halima is a passionate learner and is zealous about helping her community achieve success. Halima is determined to facilitate the lives of refugees by empowering them to be limitless ESL learners and inspiring them to obtain an education.

Ayani Hashi

Is a first generation college student. A current freshman at San Diego State University studying Public Health with plans to combine both her passion for medicine and preventing disease with her interest in policy making to help disenfranchised communities. She is a proud history buff and during her free time a creative writer. She prefers to pass time gardening, painting, and or watching movies.

Adan Adan

Is a a 25 year old male, who graduated from Hoover High School in San Diego. He is from the City Heights community of San Diego, and also an alumni from Fresno State with a BA in Political Science. He was born in Mombasa Kenya in 1993 in a refugee camp. He hopes to one day become a practicing attorney. He enjoys political activism and social equality.

Muna Hussein

Muna Hussein is a student at San Diego State University. Inspired by her university’s motto of “leadership starts here” and how she lives her family’s legacy as a daughter of the diaspora, she has been giving others a voice by using hers. She is known for her lyrical poetry and unfaltering optimism in the face of adversity.

Sahra Artan

Sahra Artan is a youth organizer with the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans— PANA. She is currently an undergraduate student at San Diego State University. Originally from “Little Mogadishu” (Eastleigh) in Nairobi, Kenya, her interest for grassroots advocacy, creating spaces for dialogue, and social justice comes from her background and shared refugee story with many from San Diego’s Somali community. This upbringing has instilled in her both a responsibility and an opportunity to give back to the communities she has grown up in, attended public school in, and has called home for more than the past decade.

Sabrina Aweys

Is currently a student at Mesa College studying English with hopes of becoming a high school teacher. She currently work with harmonium, which is a trauma informed company that serves a variety of students. Some of her past experiences include being apart of Youth Voices, which is a program that advocates for Crawford High School students here in San Diego. She worked with the Crawford chapter of the ACLU which campaigned for student rights. She has been apart of demonstrations at school boards that advocated for equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of social economic status. As a first generation college student, her hopes are to create systematic change. She believes that every child should have the tool’s to become successful. After earning her degree, she hopes to take the necessary steps to start this change through the educational system

Samira Hashi

Came to America in 2004 with her family in hopes of having better opportunities. She is currently a senior attending Mount Miguel High School and is working towards her dream. She wants to use her voice to advocate for minority groups. She wishes utilize PANA as a platform to broaden her experiences and gain knowledge on the issues her community face.

Alawi Omar

Kasim Omar

Hoda A. Haji

THIER THOUGHTS ON ADVOCACY ACADEMY

I've had a wonderful experience at the Advocacy Academy. Me being there has made me more aware of the Injustice that are plaguing our communities. (Hoda)

My experience so far has been one of increased awareness and inspiration. I have learned many different approaches to community, political, and labor organizing and the importance of not only having your voice heard, but passing the mic to those who are not in positions to make their voices heard as well. I am walking away from each advocacy academy session feeling more empowered to make a change in my community and to give back. (Sahra)

My experience this far has been a very good one. I feel comfortable sharing my opinions and I am enjoying the topics we discuss at each meeting. I feel at ease with my "classmates" and Maggie. I hope that the last few meetings go as smoothly as the others have. (Ayani)

This was a nice experience and I learned a lot during my time at advocacy academy. The program gets you more aware about what is and has been going on in the world especially in our own neighborhoods as well as what we face in today's society. I genuinely enjoy how we are able to voice our opinions. (Samira)

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