Ava moved to the U.S. from Tehran at the age of nine, and watched from afar as violent protests broke out in the streets of Iran in 2009 in response to the reelection of President Ahmadinejad. These events inspired a deep interest in human rights and led her to intern during college at an international humanitarian agency, InterAction. While at InterAction, Ava learned more about the vulnerability of transgender refugees, which made her determined to work for refugee rights and against sex trafficking. Ava is excited to continue this work with the IHRC.
After college, Ava worked as a legal assistant to a private immigration attorney, where she was able to help many clients who had been the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Additionally, Ava secured an internship at the San Bernardino’s Public Defender’s office in 2018, working in the mental health, drug, and veterans’ courts, and she volunteered as a Farsi translator for pro bono attorneys’ working at LAX during Trump’s Muslim Ban in 2016.
Since enrolling at Gould, Ava has been active with the International Refugee Assistance Project, and the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee.
“As an immigrant, I believe helping those within marginalized communities find safety and security for their families is an essential and necessary task of our time.”