My name is Hissi Alem and I am both a refugee and an immigrant. When I was seven years young my family was granted asylum in Germany and at 25 I decided to immigrate to the USA. Both times I had to start from ground zero and both experiences while very different define who I am today.

I was born in Ethiopia and spent a considerable amount of time in the Caribbean, Europe and the USA. As a child of refugees I survived most of my childhood and adolescent years on very little money and tried to prove to the world that I was worthy of acceptance- rather than be seen as an outcast. Poverty, discrimination and marginalization defined my environment but not my persona. I have endured every pain that comes with being a foreigner, an immigrant and a refugee. But I was able to channel that pain into incredible strength and hope- starting with teaching myself German while consoling my dying father in a desolate German refugee camp at age six. In those desperate and dark moments, my father planted the seed for what would become my vision: to empower myself so I can empower those who are marginalized.