Maya and her family came from Bosnia to Boise as refugees in 1997 when she was 11 years old. As she has seen and been a part of Boise's growth from a small sleepy town to the city it is now, she considers herself more Idahoan than Bosnian or American. Much to her parents chagrin, her first career was as a cosmetologist while she operated her hair salon for 10 years. Since then she has had a career in Higher Education working at Boise State University. Since the pandemic Maya has exchanged her salsa dance shoes for a power drill and is spending a lot more time on managing her properties than salsa dancing. Being involved in the community has always been a passion and she enjoys planning events and volunteering for various nonprofit organizations.
Lena Contor grew up in Ukraine and moved to Pocatello, Idaho, after getting married. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lena was presented...
When the opportunity arose for Americans to privately sponsor refugees, Joe and Kim Mitchell of Idaho Falls felt called to step up. They helped...
Lisa Meierotto is the Program Lead of Boise State University’s Global Studies program, which she helped create. Along with teaching, Lisa researches intersections between...