MEET THE TEAM
FERESHTEH GANJAVI
FOUNDER
Fereshteh is a former Afghan refugee, community advocate, public speaker, Founder, and Executive Director of Elena’s Light, a nonprofit based in Connecticut. Additionally, she works for the Refugee Council USA. Her passion lies in empowering Refugee families through health education, personalized ESL tutoring, and cultural community exchange programs. Her ultimate goal is to advocate for education, insurance, and employment rights for everyone regardless of their immigration status.
DIRECTORS
Varsha Jorawar
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Varsha is a senior pursuing a degree in Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University. She is a prospective law student who found her passion in helping Refugees. As a Guyanese immigrant herself, Varsha understands how it feels to be catapulted into a foreign country with nothing but hopes and dreams. By working with Elena's Light, she is able to have a direct impact on the immigrant/refugee community and ease the burdens that come with having that status.
Rachel Schaffer
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Rachel is working towards her degree in Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University. Having spent five years of her career in childcare and within schools, Rachel saw the disparity between the extensive needs of families and the lack of resources made available for their success. She is now committed to working on implementing actionable change for those who are in need. With a strong emphasis on social justice, Rachel has taken on many leadership roles within her university, including helping to publish research on the impact of COVID-19 on the New Haven community and its people of color. She is honored to be a part of Elena’s Light and help make a difference.
Health and Wellness Team
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Minahil Gilani
HEALTH & WELLNESS COORDINATOR
Minahil was born and raised in Pakistan. She completed her BSc in Biology from Southern Connecticut State University in May 2021. She has been a peer academic tutor at Southern for three years which provided her with a diverse range of experiences when it comes to helping students. She has been a research associate for the department of chemistry at Southern for two years, where she worked on the project of antibiotic resistance. She wrote her honors thesis regarding the quantitative research she performed there. Being an immigrant herself, she understands the struggles of residing in a different country and adapting to its culture. The aspect of connecting with people and helping them by being a resource attracts her immensely. Now she plans to embark on the journey of exploring public health and its diverse specialties and pursuing an MPH in the future.
Social Media Team
Emily Gordon
EVENT SPECIALIST
Emily is a longtime editor, writer, and marketer who works in the communications department of the Yale School of Management. She's proud to host live online events and fundraisers for Elena's Light that showcase the important voices of former refugees and other experts. She attended Barnard College and New York University and lived in New Haven.
Alissa Glaeser
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING COORDINATOR
Alissa Glaeser is a social media and marketing intern. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Communications with a focus on digital media at John's Hopkins University. She aims to uplift marginalized communities using gaming and other media tools.
ESL Team
Madeena Sadat
ESL COORDINATOR
Madeena Sadat is currently perusing a biochemistry degree at Southern Connecticut State University. She immigrated to the United States in 2010 from Afghanistan. For many years now, she has dedicated her time and efforts in volunteering for women in Afghanistan seeking to escape violence. Her line of work has prepared her to aid Elena’s Light towards a successful future helping those in need.
Madison Ramsby
ESL COORDINATOR
Madison Ramsby is a senior at Southern Connecticut State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Political Science, Spanish, and Public Relations, with a minor in Linguistics. In her degree, she has focused on the impact of language use and communication as it relates to political and societal issues. Through her own experiences with language learning, she knows the challenges that many people face in this endeavor and is driven to use her knowledge of applied linguistics to find ways to make this process as easy as possible for others. Madison believes that languages are like doors to new worlds and she hopes to use her position as an ESL Coordinator at Elena’s Light to help open these doors for as many people as possible, so that everyone has an opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Laiba Akhtar
TRANSLATOR
Laiba is a senior at Yale University pursuing a major in chemical engineering and a Russian language certificate. She's originally from the KPK region of Pakistan and grew up in Oklahoma with her parents and siblings. As a Pashtun, Laiba is fluent in Pashto and since coming to New Haven, she volunteers as a Pashto translator and interpreter with different groups in the area. Outside of academics and interpretation, Laiba participates in various mentoring and advising programs. After graduation, Laiba hopes to do research for a year and then apply to medical school.
Legal Advocacy Team
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Sadikshya Ghimire
LEGAL ADVOCACY COORDINATOR
Sadi is a junior at Yale University majoring in Political Science and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. She is an immigrant from Nepal, and her experiences have shaped her passion to advocate for migrant and refugee rights. She is especially interested in the question of citizenship and belonging and how that relates to race and ethnicity. She is involved in other organizations that serve migrants, including IRIS and Migration Alliance at Yale. As an intern at Elena’s Light, she hopes to advocate for refugees and consolidate various resources to ease their transition and experiences in the U.S.
Madison Ramsby
LEGAL ADVOCACY COORDINATOR
Madison Ramsby is a senior at Southern Connecticut State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Political Science, Spanish, and Public Relations, with a minor in Linguistics. In her degree, she has focused on the impact of language use and communication as it relates to political and societal issues. Through her own experiences with language learning, she knows the challenges that many people face in this endeavor and is driven to use her knowledge of applied linguistics to find ways to make this process as easy as possible for others. Madison believes that languages are like doors to new worlds and she hopes to use her position as a Legal Coordinator at Elena’s Light to help open these doors for as many people as possible, so that everyone has an opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Grant Team
Isabella Mandell
GRANT WRITER
Isabella is a rising sophomore at Brown University planning to concentrate in International and Public Affairs and in Education. She loves tutoring and assisting in classrooms in New Haven. While working with an attorney to draft an application for asylum, she saw the unjust roadblocks present in immigration/refugee law, and she values the work that Elena's Light is doing in providing resources to ease transitions and build refugee autonomy.
Madison Laprise
GRANT WRITER
Madison is a rising sophomore at Yale University, pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science. She is someone who values local engagement, and was heavily involved in her hometown's school system as a Board of Education representative. As someone who has lived in Connecticut her entire life, she is excited about making an impact on the New Haven community through Elena's Light.
Community Engagement
Abigail Nadeau
Program Development Coordinator
Abigail is a Program Development Intern. She is currently an undergraduate student at Boston
College studying Political Science and International Studies. Through the courses she has
taken, Abigail has realized her passion in aiding migrants and refugees. She believes that
grassroots organizations and nonprofits are essential in addressing the adversity that comes
with forced migration.
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Muna Mah
Artisan Market Coordinator
Muna is a recent graduate from Southern Connecticut State University, receiving her BSPH from Southern's College of Health and Human Services. She was inducted into the Eta Sigma Gamma Health Education Honor Society and she was the 2021 recipient of the Public Health Award for Excellence. During her time at Southern, Muna was appointed as a student researcher by her professors on a research project that would survey undergraduate and graduate students basic needs during the COVID-19 pandemic in the following categories: Childcare,
Food insecurity, Housing, Academic success/ Career services, and Mental health. She has also worked as a student worker on an opioid awareness campaign that was grant funded by the
Connecticut Healthy Campus Initiative. Coming from an immigrant entrepreneurial family she has enjoyed being given the platform to uplift and empower immigrant and refugee women through their handmade crafts on Elena's Light Artisan Market initiative. Muna will be pursuing her MPH in Epidemiology at Columbia University this upcoming Fall 22 Semester.