Fatuma Mohamed

About Fatuma

Fatuma Mohamed’s experiences growing up in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya and resettling in the United States have profoundly shaped her commitment to advocating for displaced and marginalized communities locally and globally. She strives to deepen her interdisciplinary approach to addressing global inequalities and is passionate about bridging research and advocacy.

She earned her Master’s in International Affairs from Northeastern University in 2024, where she also completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Affairs. As an undergraduate, Fatuma worked as a research assistant on projects addressing environmental health injustices in U.S. cities, U.S.-China relations, and economic development in West Africa. As a Summer Scholars Independent Research Fellow (SSIRF), she conducted research for her honors thesis on the impact of surveillance and policing on Somali youth, examining the intersection of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Fatuma is a dedicated community organizer and youth advocate. During college, she co-founded Hormar Academy, a mentorship program supporting Somali high school students in Greater Boston to overcome barriers to higher education. She currently serves as the Director of Youth Advocacy at the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), where she leads initiatives to empower Muslim youth through leadership development and civic engagement. She has also conducted state-wide research on the experiences of Muslim students in public schools and provides professional development training for educators.

Fatuma’s return to Dadaab Refugee Camp in 2022 deepened her passion for understanding and addressing the challenges faced by displaced populations. During her Master’s program, she studied forced displacement, migration, and refugee experiences across regions, including those of Vietnamese, Afghan, and Syrian refugees.

Her mission is to contribute to a just and equitable world, where all people have access to education, the freedom to move, and the opportunity to thrive.