Immigrant Stories: Hossna Samadi

FREE EVENT! Call the Box Office at 203.346.2000 to reserve your free tickets.

Hossna Samadii, the Outreach Coordinator for IRIS, an organization that assists refugees in Connecticut during the resettlement process, will offer her unique perspective, detailing her personal journey from Afghanistan to Connecticut. From overcoming obstacles and prejudices to assimilating into a new community, her story serves as testament to the resilience, perseverance, and determination that so many immigrants possess as they work to make a better life in a new country.

Hossna grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, before relocating with her family to New Haven in 2016. When she first arrived, Hossna took English classes through IRIS, which led to an ongoing relationship with that organization. In 2021, she became an IRIS Ambassador, speaking at a wide range of venues and panels. As the IRIS Outreach Coordinator, she helps educate people about IRIS as well as the challenges and journeys experienced by immigrants and refugees. Additionally, Hossna is the co-founder of the Collective for Refugee & Immigrant Women's Wellbeing, a pilot project that evaluates existing services for refugee women’s mental health and wellbeing in New Haven.

Susan Suhr, the founder of New Start Ministry, will give a brief introduction before the talk, providing some background understanding about refugees and immigrants. New Start Ministry is an interfaith group that works in conjunction with IRIS to co-sponsor refugee families for local resettlement.