Shadia Martini is committed to supporting refugee and immigrant communities as a state elected official. Martini is a Syrian-American immigrant who has lived in Southeast Michigan for three decades. Shadia earned her BS in Architectural Engineering from the University of Aleppo and was subsequently granted a scholarship to study at the University of Economics in Vienna. After completing her research in Austria, not wanting to return to life under dictatorship in Syria, Shadia immigrated to Southeast Michigan where she earned her MBA at the University of Michigan, started her family, and launched multiple small businesses. Following the 2011 Syrian Revolution, she has been deeply involved in Syrian refugee resettlement efforts and national bipartisan advocacy for accountability against human rights abusers.