Shadia Mbabazi

Shadia met Dana the day she arrived in Grand Rapids as a Rwandan refugee, over dinner in a small Lutheran church. With a degree in Human and Social Development from the University of South Africa and firsthand experience of the challenges of resettling, Shadia brings an informed, compassionate and needed perspective to the work of Treetops Collective -- she was also our first board member. In her everyday life, Shadia works in the refugee community both with an educational organization and a translation service. She plans to pursue a Masters in Counseling in the near future.

Places she’s felt welcomed: U.S. and Botswana.