Education can break the cycle of poverty by providing the knowledge and skills needed to secure better paying jobs, lifting families out of poverty and creating opportunities for future generations. 

MARY MAKER 

As a child, Mary Maker fled war-torn South Sudan and went on to become a teacher who is empowering a generation of girls often denied access to education. 

Maker has been supporting UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as an education activist since 2018 and was appointed Goodwill Ambassador in 2023. 

Mary started the nonprofit Elimisha Kakuma, which provides access to higher education opportunities for high school graduates living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. 

ALLEN XING 

Allen Xing is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He began professional dance training in ballet and Chinese classical dance at age thirteen. His work explores identity, blending traditional Chinese dance with modern styles. 

“I love to express myself through dance- physically, through body language and mentally. The idea is to build and to share,” Xing said. 

MARJAN NADERI 

Marjan Naderi is an Afghan American poet, performer, and educator. In 2020, she was honored as the Youth Poet Laureate. Naderi is also a seven-time National Poetry Slam Champion, showcasing her exceptional talent. 

As an educator, Naderi has facilitated writing workshops and crafted curriculums across the nation. She is the founder of The Washington International Academy Library and now works to establish libraries across the U.S. as a student of The University of Virginia. 

“We’re all living in our constructed worlds. It’s all interpreted worlds. My interpreted world meets your interpreted world. There are these tools of language that connect us in some theoretical way as if we have a real understanding of what’s going on in your world and my world… Poetry becomes a vehicle for this love to be shared between us,” Naderi said.