Ghazaleh grew up witnessing many moving to her home country as refugees and saw the daily challenges they face. At the age of 21 she moved to Turkey and became a refugee herself due to religious persecution. She left her comfortable and privileged life behind and had to be in the waiting for unforeseeable future with many daily challenges. When she was resettled in the US in 2014, she began sharing her story to bring awareness. Over the years she has had the opportunity to use her voice for those who may not have the same opportunity. Today, she is beyond grateful to continue this work alongside our Refugee Story Project team who are willing to use their expertise, talent, and platform to share the story of courage individuals who are called refugees today and facing many challenges in their everyday life.

As a full-time photographer, Larissa has had the opportunity to capture people’s stories for fifteen years. This has led her to see the world in a new way, and has made her want to make an impact in the world through story telling. She started doing small overseas mission’s work at the age of 21 where her photography was used to help various organizations raise awareness and use her photographs and videos for their marketing.

Larissa first became fully aware of the refugee crisis through Ghazaleh Pakdel sharing her story and the stories of those that she knew were in hard or dire situations. It stirred her heart to want to support through giving and help share the stories. When Refugee Story project was launched out of this, she came on board to want to help on a broader scale: by sharing the passions and lives of refugees through photo and video. She is excited to be a part of this non-profit and see the impact we will be able to make in the lives of refugees through the power of storytelling.

Kelsie has more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. From serving as an AmeriCorps, to working in the Philippines with International Justice Mission, she has a desire to make a meaningful impact in her work. Today, she works as a Program Officer with First Fruit, a grantmaking foundation in Orange County that works with over 100 nonprofit partners in the Global South.

Through her work, she's had the opportunity to travel overseas and spend time with refugee communities around the world. Conversations with these men, women, and children have greatly impacted her and have led to a deep desire to support these families - and she loves the chance to do that through Refugee Story Project.

David is a longtime San Francisco resident which is where he and his wife Carla raised their two children. He earned his B.S. in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from UC Davis and he played on the men’s tennis team. David is a life member of Cal Aggie Alumni Association. In addition to serving on the CAAA Board he serves on the Boards of Catholic Charities, Salesian High School and the National Multiple Sclerosis. His current professional position is Key Client Advisor at Bank of the West/ BNP Paribas Wealth Management Group.

Daniel has a background in engineering and information technology. One of his first jobs out of university was with a nonprofit- the largest global anti-trafficking organization. The opportunity to use his training and see people's lives transformed was very rewarding and humbling.

Born and raise in the Philippines, he immigrated to the U.S. in my mid-twenties to marry my wife, a U.S. citizen. Although he has a different experience than a refugee, he knows and understands the challenges of packing up your life and moving to an entirely new place to start afresh. It is hard enough to move with your own volition, imagine if you are forced out of the life you knew. Because of his life story, he is passionate about supporting the immigrant and refugee communities.

Robyn is from So-Cal and studied ballet until she was 18. She currently work in interior design and love the arts, the beach, family, and friends.

Robyn first became aware of refugees through the news stories of the Syrian refugees. After seeing the horrors of how they suffered and how many men, women, and children drowned when trying to flee Syria, her eyes had been opened to what refugees actually have to go through. It didn’t become really personal to her until she met Ghazaleh Pakdel and heard her story. When Robyn found out about the Refugee Story Project, she wanted to come on board and do her part to help. She is excited to be a part of this, and do what she can to support this important and needed cause!