Yesenia Rodriguez
At 14, Yesenia Rodriguez came to the United States with her mother and siblings to meet their dad. They did not speak English, and the language barrier made the transition and schooling very difficult. Although it was difficult, her parents were determined to give their family a better life. Her family came to the US […]
Ricky Hurtado
A son of working-class immigrants, Ricky Hurtado grew up in rural North Carolina, attending public schools and going on to become the first in his family to go to college. Hurtado attended UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, finding his passion for public service while at UNC mentoring other high school students who grew up […]
Dr. Ya Liu
If elected, Dr. Ya Liu would be the first Asian-American elected to the North Carolina General Assembly. Dr. Liu came to the United States to pursue higher education and better opportunities. She came here with no money, no connections, and spoke very little English. Since then, Dr. Liu has earned two doctoral degrees in sociology […]
Jay Chaudhuri
Jay Chaudhuri has spent his career fighting for and working on behalf of the people of North Carolina and is committed to welcoming refugees and immigrations. As a representative, he has met with refugee and immigrant communities in North Carolina and in 2019, Chaudhuri signed a letter from state and local leaders urging then President […]
Janelle Perez
The daughter of Cuban exiles who became successful entrepreneurs, Janelle Perez is an advocate, policymaker, and small business owner. After graduating from Florida International University, she moved to Washington, D.C. and began her career on Capitol Hill, honing her policy analysis skills. While in graduate school, she worked for a nonprofit, leading advocacy efforts for […]
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Whitmer is a pro-refugee champion with a consistent record as governor of supporting refugee resettlement, state funding, and license reform. Whitmer has led Michigan with grit and grace, tackling Michigan’s long-standing infrastructure, healthcare, and education challenges while taking decisive action to save lives and rebuild the state’s economy. Her administration has delivered results for […]
Padma Kuppa
Padma moved to Michigan with her husband and two children nearly 25 years ago and is committed to supporting refugee and immigrant communities, taking action to expand access to services to immigrants in Michigan on several occasions. Throughout her life, Kuppa has sought to bring people together to solve problems both in the professional world […]
Stephanie Chang
Chang is a daughter of immigrants who came to this country looking for opportunity and is a supporter of welcoming refugees and immigrants. She lives in Detroit with her husband, Sean and two young daughters, working hard to ensure they have a bright future. Prior to running for office, Chang received her Master of Public […]
Shadia Martini
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 […]
Aisha Farooqi
Aisha Farooqi is committed to welcoming refugees and immigrants and building a robust refugee resettlement program. Farooqi and her family moved to the United States after her mother earned a scholarship to study chemistry at the University of Detroit. While her mother studied, her father worked at a small business. Through her parents, she learned […]
