I'm Mena Ayazi

My Story

Growing up Afghan American meant growing up between worlds. In my family's living room, stories were told verbally, from the heart, through the food. On TV, Afghanistan was bombs and destruction. "Terrorists." "Savages." Nothing like what I knew.

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

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That understanding shaped everything I do.

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Over the past decade I've worked inside USAID, USIP, and grassroots nonprofits alike. I've been the comms person writing donor appeals, the campaign staffer shaping narratives for audiences that didn't look like us, and the one in the room watching brilliant changemakers shrink their stories to fit someone else's framework. Not because their stories weren't compelling — they were. But because the infrastructure was built for someone else.​​

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I built Awaz to bridge that gap and help immigrant-led organizations and Global Majority nonprofits reclaim their own stories and build narrative strategies that drive impact on their own terms.

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I hold a Bachelor and Master from the Jimmy Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University where I specialized in narrative work. Currently, I reside in Northern VA and enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors, and taking on fun DIY projects.