Mosaics

Muzdalifa Hamad joins us on Mosaics to raise awareness about her home country, Sudan. Sudan is the focus of the Pace for Peace Run for Refugees 5K  on May 30 in Boise ( sign up here! ). Muzdalifa’s parents fled the Darfur region of Sudan before she was born and raised their children in Libya, where life was difficult but safer. The family resettled in the U.S. through refugee resettlement when Muz...

Andrea Schmutz, who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines at age 18, is the founder of Empowering Immigrant Women in Pocatello, Idaho. She is also an educator and pursuing a doctorate degree in educational leadership. Andrea was recently named Miss Idaho for America Strong with the platform of Education Beyond Boundaries, which encourages immigrant women and single mothers to get a formal educati...

Anna Lloyd is the Executive Director and Afghan Allies Advocate with Task Force Argo . Task Force Argo formed after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to support Afghan allies and help people who were stranded in Afghanistan or neighboring countries.‎ In this episode, Anna, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, shares about the work of Task Force Argo and how she stays focused and driven amid the dauntin...

Amy Pence-Brown is the new executive director of Artisans For Hope in Boise, Idaho, a vibrant community space of creativity and economic empowerment. Here's their story: In 2009, a group of Boise women in a book club began discussing their common interest in textiles and care for refugees resettled in Boise. They felt many refugees were met with difficulties of adjusting and community misunderstan...

Within the term “refugee” is a wide range of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences - including ‎among refugees from the same country. Sanga Zamaraikamal Pori, a senior at Boise State University and fellow with Neighbors United, is a former refugee from Afghanistan. Her story is unique to her own set of experiences and perspectives. Sanga and her family resettled in Boise, Idaho, when she w...

Desange Kuenihira wrote her book, Undefeated Woman , to encourage other young people from refugee backgrounds - and through the process she found strength and healing for herself. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Desange spent much of her childhood in a refugee camp in Uganda before resettling in Salt Lake City. She has since graduated from the University of Utah and founded UnDEf...

The United States is in a moment of upheaval for refugee resettlement and immigration enforcement. John Slocum, executive director of Refugee Council USA, has spent many years working in migration policy and human rights. John shares a valuable and historical perspective on the immigration conversation of today.    

The Pace for Peace 5K is returning to Boise this month - this time with a focus on Afghanistan. “The situation in Afghanistan still is getting worse, not better,” said Yasmin Aguilar with Agency for New Americans. “We have clients here, they are suffering, they have family members there – extended or immediate – and our hands are tied.” Sayed Mirbacha, one of the local students organizing Pace for...

Mosaics host Holly Beech recently joined the Unified Purpose podcast  to dive into what it means to help people transition from surviving trauma to truly belonging in a new country.   The episode explores how Idaho’s long-standing refugee program —celebrating 50 years of resettlement — goes beyond logistics, offering emotional support, career reintegration, cultural connection, and community partn...

Doctors moving into the U.S. bring much needed skills but face barriers getting back to the medical field – including a competitive process to redo their residency training.   A new law in Idaho is providing an alternative pathway for these physicians so they can complete a supervised apprenticeship and get back to the work they love.   Today we’re joined by Dr. Scott Smith and Viktoriia‎ Siedikov...

Lena Contor grew up in Ukraine and moved to Pocatello, Idaho, after getting married. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lena was presented with an opportunity to go back on a humanitarian relief trip. Her first thought was, “Who am I to do anything? I’m not rich. I’m not powerful.” But she couldn’t push the thought out of her mind, and she took the leap. She is now getting ready to go on...

Fredrick Shema grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda before resettling in Boise with his ‎family in 2012 as a high school student. In college, he was able to go back to the camp ‎where he grew up for a research project, reconnecting with friends still living ‎there. Through this experience and working with Boise youth from refugee backgrounds, ‎Fredrick set his sights on becoming an attorney – wanti...

Damir Subasic is a local law enforcement officer and trainer whose family came to Idaho many years ago through the refugee resettlement program.   Damir and his family left former Yugoslavia when he was 9 on what he thought was going to be a visit to his grandma’s in Germany. But as war and violence escalated back home, it became clear they couldn’t return. Damir, the only Bosnian kid at school, f...

Andrew Nemr is an international performer, speaker, author, and teacher. His parents are originally from Lebanon, and in 2015 when civil war escalated in neighboring Syria, Andrew started exploring the idea of what it means to endure and encounter hope in the midst of darkness. His vision will come to fruition in August, when Andrew will tap dance for 12-hours straight in an immersive experience c...

All are welcome to join the Pace for Peace Run for Refugees  in Boise on May 24, 2025, in support of Agency for New Americans.   The agency has been resettling refugees in Boise for many years. Community support is even more important this year as federal funding has been frozen. Proceeds from the race will help new refugee neighbors afford rent, utility, and medical expenses as they get on their...

Lok Darjee works to empower others from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to use their vote and their voices to help shape and preserve the American democracy that he cares deeply about. His family is originally from Bhutan, but they were among the more than 100,000 Nepali-speaking people who were displaced in the early 1990s due to government persecution and attacks on their language, culture, re...

Mona Heern shares with Mosaics about her experiences as a young girl growing up during the Iranian revolution of 1979. Mona’s family and other members of the Baha’i faith - Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority – became the targets of intense persecution and restrictions, which continue to this day. Mona, her mother, and younger sister fled Iran after her father was murdered in prison simpl...

Join us for a conversation with local podcast City Cast Boise about Boise's rich history of resettlement and the current executive order that abruptly suspended the program. Where are things now? Moses Mukengezi was resettled with his family in 2007, and he’s talking about his story alongside Holly Beech from the Idaho Office for Refugees. City Cast Boise host Lindsay Van Allen is finding out the...

Razma and Hasina are sisters who resettled in Idaho with their family in 2022. Razma is continuing her education at Boise State, where she is majoring in computer science, and Hasina is a senior in high school. They are pursuing dreams of education and future careers that would not be possible for them under new rules in Afghanistan banning girls and women from school and work opportunities and ev...

Immigration attorney Chris Christensen provides insight into where we’ve been and what we might expect in the U.S. immigration system in the year ahead. “I think it’s important for immigrants to understand that regardless of their legal status, that they have rights in this great country,” he said. In this episode, Chris shares valuable Know Your Rights information and practical steps people can t...

Join us to hear from Raquel Reyes, director of programs & operations at PODER of Idaho. We talk about the daily anxieties experienced by families of mixed immigration status, reflections on the recent election, and the many ways immigrant communities contribute to a vibrant economy and culture. You can connect with PODER on Instagram (poder_idaho) and find Platicas con Poder, hosted by Raquel,...

The Ukrainian Welcome Center in Nampa has served more than 700 people displaced by the war in Ukraine. The center's Executive Director Tina Polishchuk and recent School Impact Coordinator Joni Leipf share how their summer program brought a sense of normalcy and an opportunity for healing for students who haven't had a normal school year since before Covid.   Learn more about the center's Adopt-a-F...

  A research team from Boise State University is studying the ecological knowledge of Boise farmers from refugee backgrounds and learning how they adapted to farming in a new location. The project will bring more understanding of how Global Gardens farmers are using knowledge from their home countries here in Boise and contributing to the local food scene and farming techniques.   Hear from two of...

Lisa Meierotto is the Program Lead of Boise State University’s Global Studies program, which she helped create. Along with teaching, Lisa researches intersections between global migration, human rights, and environmental justice. Lisa grew up in Idaho and lived in Ecuador, Cuba and Costa Rica while earning her degree in global studios and anthropology. She has a master’s degree in international de...

The Pace4Peace 5K was founded by a local group of people with the goal of raising awareness for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and bringing the community together. Boise has a strong Congolese community, and the DRC has been the top country of origin for refugees resettling in Idaho for several years. Hear from some of the race organizers - Boise State students Ani Carnell, Sayed M...