Faces of FIUTS: Nada Ramadan

Nada has been the Student Programs Specialist with FIUTS for 3 years now and she has decided to pursue a new professional path. As a woman from the Middle East, she faced significant sexism and systemic barriers, which fueled her passion for social justice and inclusion. Moving to the U.S. as an Arab immigrant, she channeled her need for survival into advocating for marginalized communities, promoting racial equity, and dismantling institutional racism. These are the principles Nada was always fighting for during her time at FIUTS. She believed in the importance of equity and equality.

Professionally, she’s worked to empower individuals by helping them realize their potential in inclusive spaces. In a previous job, Nada taught English to refugees in Lebanon, she supported them in overcoming systemic challenges like language barriers and ageism, while also providing guidance on navigating the job market. At FIUTS, she empowers young leaders from diverse backgrounds through leadership development and community action planning, assisting on U.S. Department of State programs and helping participants create tangible change through their Community Action Plans.

Her work has allowed her to build cross-cultural partnerships and engage with diverse communities, advocating for long-term, systemic change. She is passionate about addressing inequities in institutions like education and criminal justice, and she’s found restorative justice practices to be a powerful alternative to oppressive systems, emphasizing empathy, accountability, and community.

What does Nada have to say about her time at FIUTS?

“It has been the best and most challenging a person could ask for. I didn’t realize how much I would learn from this role until I started working with all these incredible people from all different walks of life. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet people from all over the world without having to travel to those countries.

I think the job itself definitely taught me new skills but the people I met along the way are what really stuck with me. From Armernia to Zimbabwe to Iraq to Ukraine to Taiwan and really anywhere you can think of, FIUTS was the international hub for interacting with all these individuals. And I feel very grateful for this chance.

I can now travel anywhere around the world and there would someone ready to take me to all the local shops and feed me all their great food. This experience of connecting with people as deeply as I did throughout my journey is unreplaceable.

FIUTS is very much my comfort zone now and I am nervous to embark on a new path but I a can confidently say that FIUTS equipped me with the right tools to be ready for whatever comes my way.

Thank you so much FIUTS fam for making my journey so exceptional. I will hold all the memories with me forever.”