Machhadie Assi was not your typical Washington Center student in 2016.
She could be described as a non-traditional student, an immigrant, and a Muslim divorced single mother of three children. But after speaking to Machhadie, a more accurate description of Machhadie Assi would be an inspirational role model for her children, a leader in her community and an advocate for underserved communities.
Machhadie, the mother of three, chose to intern in Washington, D.C. to show her children that there are no restrictions on what they can achieve. In the summer of 2016, she made arrangements for her children to stay in Michigan and she immersed herself fully into The Washington Center program.
She completed two internships! She interned for the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and for the Global Language Network teaching Arabic, and even took two evening courses. Machhadie described the experience gained from her summer with The Washington Center as her “golden stamp on her resume.”
Machhadie said, “My Washington Center experience taught me to understand how government works and how to advocate for change. It gave me a platform to share my opinions and prove to myself and my children that this Muslim immigrant single mother could be a leader in my community.”
My Washington Center experience taught me to understand how government works and how to advocate for change. It gave me a platform to share my opinions and prove to myself and my children that this Muslim immigrant single mother could be a leader in my community.
Her hard work and dedication led her Washington Center peers to select Machhadie as the recipient of The Washington Center Global Citizenship Award. Machhadie has taken her drive to be an advocate and make the world a better place for her children back to Michigan. On International Women’s Day 2020, Machhadie was recognized by USA Hello as one of the American immigrant women influencers for her energetic activism during the presidential race, particularly for her work mobilizing immigrant women and women of color to vote.
Today, Machhadie continues to give a voice to the voiceless. Currently she works for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office as a Victims Advocate for residents affected by the Flint water contamination.
This working single mother says she still has much to achieve. Machhadie is determined to go to law school and plans on enrolling her children in The Washington Center when they go to college.
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