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.
Today we hear from Joel Ntando, coordinator of the Refugee Speakers Bureau at the Idaho Office for Refugees. Joel has a background in theater...
Andrew Nemr is an international performer, speaker, author, and teacher. His parents are originally from Lebanon, and in 2015 when civil war escalated in...
Desange Kuenihira wrote her book, Undefeated Woman, to encourage other young people from refugee backgrounds - and through the process she found strength and...