Tea Rozman
She/Her/Hers
Tea Rozman
Ever since working in the refugee camps in the war-torn former Yugoslavia in the 90s, Tea made a commitment to serve those whose lives had been unjustly disrupted by conflict. Years later, as she visited Srebrenica as part of her postgraduate studies at New York University and later University of Nova Gorica, Tea realized the profound impact of first-person digital story sharing. In 2013, she received a PhD in Cultural History, specializing in oral history recording, and has since committed her life to healing trauma, empowerment and amplifying the voices of immigrants and refugees. She is passionate about social justice, creating brave spaces, social entrepreneurship and immigrant leadership.
In 2013, Tea co-founded Green Card Voices, an organization that combats stereotypes by empowering immigrants to tell their stories. She and her team has recorded and shared stories of over 500 immigrants and refugees coming from 150 countries and living in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, New York, California and Georgia. She is the editor of eight books—all award-winning collections of first-person immigrant stories and 2015 Bush Fellow.
Tea is passionate about travel, running, hiking, kite flying, horses and growing vegetables. She is a mom to two amazing pre-teen daughters and two loving and [occasionally] naughty beagles. In the summer, she can be found hiking in the Slovenian Alps and swimming off of the Croatian coast with dozens of members of her immediate and extended family.
tea@greencardvoices.org
Aaliyah Hannah
She/Her/Hers
Aaliyah Hannah
Shiney Her
She/Her/Hers
Shiney Her
In 2018, Shiney graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a major in Strategic Communications and Graphic Design. Soon after, she started her two years of service with AmeriCorps Public Allies – Twin Cities, where she developed an interest and drive working with nonprofits to give back to her community—using her assets in visual communication.
Shiney continues to partner and contract with nonprofits and small businesses. In the near future, she hopes to do work that’s deeply rooted in her culture and identity as a Hmong American woman.
A fun fact about Shiney is that she got her first name from the translation of her Hmong name—Chi-Ia [chee-ia]. It translates to “shiny”—hence, the birth of her name, which spells “Shiney”.
When she’s not creating, Shiney spends time caring and playing with Ginger, her Australian Shepherd mixed Border Collie fur friend. She also enjoys watching kdramas and listening to kdrama OSTs.
shiney@greencardvoices.org
https://shineychi-ia.myportfolio.com/
Rebecca Aurelious
She/Her/Hers
Rebecca Aurelious
rebecca@greencardvoices.org
Zaynab Abdi
She/Her/Hers
Zaynab Abdi
She graduated as magna cum laude from St. Catherine University, St. Paul with three Bachelors’s degrees in Political Science,
Zaynab is a co-author in Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from Minneapolis High Schools and was featured in Malala’s new book We Are Displaced. Besides her advocacy life, Zaynab loves to play soccer and bike during her free time.
Aasma Shaukat
She/Her/Hers
Aasma Shaukat
Coming to the United States in her twenties presented an exciting new chapter in her life. Her first home in the US was in Baltimore as she completed work at Johns Hopkins studying public health. She then pursued the study of internal medicine in New York and of gastroenterology in Atlanta. Eventually she found her way to the University of Minnesota and her current role as researcher and professor. She enjoys her work now because it combines three professional interests: working in a clinic, researching, and educating.
She finds passion and excitement behind each of these roles and is thankful for the opportunity to live the life she leads now. Though Aasma never intended to stay in the US after completing her postgraduate studies, she loves the life she and her family have built in Minnesota. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, cooking new dishes, and exploring Minnesotan sports.
Richard Benton
He/Him/His
Richard Benton
Richard has a BA in linguistics and a PhD in linguistics and Ancient Hebrew. He’s worked seven years teaching at the university level in three countries, and taught English to non-native speakers in classroom and informal settings.
Elvis Rivera
He/Him/His
Elvis Rivera
Elvis is a financial advisor based out of Saint Paul, MN. Born in Guatemala, Elvis immigrated to the USA, in 1996, with his mother and sister in the proverbial pursuit of a better life. North Minneapolis became his home in 1997 and he has been a Minnesota resident ever since. Elvis finds passion in community involvement and advocating for the underserved and underrepresented communities.
In his free time, Elvis is an avid runner and bicyclist. He is active in his community as a volunteer and enjoys mentoring school-aged children through numerous local organizations. Elvis is also a father of a teenage son and a pre-teen daughter who he loves spending time with.
Marina B. Aleixo
She/Her/Hers
Marina B. Aleixo
Thorunn Bjarnadottir
She/Her/Hers
Thorunn Bjarnadottir
She is the Director of Intercultural Education at the University of Minnesota, International Student and Scholar Services. In that capacity, she is extensively involved in efforts to make the University’s students ready to work in a more interconnected global world.
Gregory Eagan
He/Him/His
Gregory Egan
dictatorship.
Greg remains active in his community. He also serves on the board of the Ramsey County Bar Association. He volunteers in a first-generation Hispanic college readiness mentorship program through Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES). Through Literacy Minnesota, he teaches English to adult immigrants in the neighborhood they share. He puts his legal skills to work representing places of
worship that provide housing and sanctuary to immigrants; he stands prepared to defend these institutions against federal criminal prosecution. He also represents low-income family law clients through South Metro Regional Legal Services (SMRLS). Greg and his wife, a Honduran immigrant, are raising two bilingual, bicultural sons in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.
Fee Freeman
She/Her/Hers
Fee Freeman
Merle Greene
She/Her/Hers
Merle Greene
Ibrahim Hirsi
He/Him/His
Ibrahim Hirsi
Hamzat Koriko
He/Him/His
Hamzat Koriko
Vanja Pantic Oflazoglu
She/Her/Hers
Vanja Pantic-Oflazoglu
Prior to joining Welcoming America as International Program Manager, Vanja worked on initiatives related to migration, peace-building, and social inclusion in Bosnia, Switzerland, and Turkey. She has contributed to projects ranging from migrants’ labor rights and rural migrant women’s social inclusion, to post-war reconciliation and monitoring of global human rights standards.
Vanja holds a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Boston University, and was inducted into its Scarlet Key Honor Society in recognition of her community service. She is a recipient of several awards and fellowships, having been named a Fulbright Scholar, Posse Scholar, Post-Conflict Research Center Fellow, a 30-Under-30 Georgia Center for Nonprofits Leader, and an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar.
Monique Thompkins
She/Her/Hers
Monique Thompkins
Monique is an experienced project manager and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. She has managed numerous successful projects for local NPOs and corporations. Her long-ranging success can be attributed to a love of people and wanting to see them succeed.
Monique has a BS in Electronic Technology from North Carolina A&T State University and a MA in Project Management from the University of St. Thomas. When Monique is not hard at work strategizing, she hosts her “LifeinspiredwithMo” Vlog, exploring flavors and food in her home kitchen or on an outdoor adventure with friends, family, or Adrian, her loving husband of 14 years.