Roxana Norouzi

Roxana Norouzi has worked with immigrant and refugee populations in the Seattle area for the past 10 years. Currently, she provides strategic guidance around education policy and implementation for OneAmerica, Washington State’s largest immigrant right’s organization. She's also president of The Seattle Globalist Board of Directors. In 2010, Roxana was awarded the University of Washington’s Bonderman Fellowship which allowed her to travel to the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, East Africa, West Africa and South America. Roxana's views are her own and don't necessarily represent OneAmerica or the Seattle Globalist.

A bilingual classroom at Scenic Hill Elementary, in the Kent School District. (Photo courtesy OneAmerica)

Why teachers must reflect student diversity

by Roxana Norouzi

A new pilot program in South King County will fast track bilingual educators from diverse backgrounds to the front of classrooms filled with immigrants and youth of color.

Legislative wins for Washington immigrants and youth

by Roxana Norouzi

This legislative session made Roxana Norouzi realize how although politics can seem very inaccessible, we have the power to make change.

(Photo courtesy One America)

Back to school, with new credits for bilingual students

by Roxana Norouzi

King County school districts are stepping up and recognizing that immigrant students’ native language skills are a benefit, not a burden.

Why we travel: Finding the feeling of home in Cambodia

by Roxana Norouzi

Join the Seattle Globalist tonight at Black Coffee Co-Op for a slideshow and stories of travel in Southeast Asia. Details here.

No on I-1240: Why charter schools aren’t the answer

by Roxana Norouzi

Unless you are immersed in the education world, your exposure to charter schools might be limited to the 2010 documentary Waiting for Superman. But with Initiative 1240 on the Washington ballot this year, you’re being asked to make a major decision regarding our education system with little information other than the ample evidence that our […]

Is Obama’s immigration policy shift really a DREAM come true?

by Roxana Norouzi

When I first saw the email alert, “Obama offers immunity to younger immigrants,” I could hardly believe it was true. President Obama had signed an executive order that was a modified version of the DREAM Act, vowing to not deport undocumented youth under 30, and giving them the opportunity to temporarily work in the U.S. legally. The […]

As war rages on, a message from inside Syria

by Roxana Norouzi

I was staying at a beachfront hotel in Zanzibar, Tanzania when I saw the first images of the unrest in Syria on TV. I watched footage of Syrians in the southern city of Deraa brazenly burning the pictures of President Bashar al-Assad that once lined every street, store, restaurant, and home. I was glued to the news, watching the […]

Beyond the matzo: Finding a global meaning in Passover

by Roxana Norouzi

When I was growing up, Passover was the holiday where I sat around a table with my family reading the story of our distant ancestors, eating strange food combinations like raw horseradish, herbs dipped in vinegar, and chanting prayers that always seemed too long. It was the week I reluctantly had to explain to all […]

As tensions mount between Iran and Israel, an Iranian Jew is asked to pick a side

by Roxana Norouzi

“So are you on team Iran or Israel?” A few days ago I walked into a coffee shop to meet my friend and that was the first thing she asked me. A quick Google search revealed the headlines like “Iran Says Preemptive Strike on Israel Possible” “Israel Threatens to Strike Iran’s Nuclear Facilities” “Iran and […]