About Mena 

My Story

Growing up Afghan American meant growing up between worlds. In my family's living room, uncles and aunties surrounded by cousins would tell stories: orally, from the heart, through the food. On TV, Afghanistan was bombs and destruction. "Terrorists." "Savages." Nothing like what I knew.

I learned early what happens when your community's voice is misunderstood, misrepresented, or ignored entirely. I saw how stories had the power to shape our world, and how dangerous it was when the wrong people controlled the narrative.

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That understanding has shaped everything I do.

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Who I Am Today

I'm a communications strategist, storyteller, and the founder of Awaz Creative Group, a creative studio dedicated to helping immigrant-led organizations and Global Majority nonprofits build authentic narrative strategies that drive impact.

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Over the past decade, I've worked at the intersection of international development, peacebuilding, and strategic communications, supporting organizations ranging from large institutions like USAID and USIP to grassroots nonprofits like Search for Common Ground and The Alliance for Peacebuilding. Throughout this work, I kept seeing the same challenge: brilliant changemakers doing transformative work, but struggling to tell their stories in ways that opened doors and honored their agency -- not because they lacked compelling narratives, but because they lacked access to the right communications infrastructure.

That observation became the foundation for Awaz.

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My Background

I'm the daughter of Afghan refugees raised in Northern VA in a post 9/11 America. Growing up between cultures taught me how narratives shape power and how critical it is for communities to control their own stories.

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My career in international development began with a deep commitment to ethical storytelling and proximate leadership. I co-founded the U.S. Youth, Peace & Security Coalition, worked as a one-person communications team for multiple organizations, and eventually realized that the gap between changemakers and visibility wasn't about talent, it was about access to resources, networks, and strategic support.

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I built Awaz to bridge that gap.