Community Ambassadors

Symphorien Sikyala (Swahili & French)

• Medical Doctor, graduated from Democratic Republic of Congo-Kinshasa
• Graduated from UVM College of Medicine VT LEND - Leadership Education in NeuroDevelopment Health Disparities
• Cultural Competence Council Advisor, Burlington VT
• Interpreter - English, French, Swahili, Lingala

Gita Dhakal (Nepali)

I was born in Bhutan in 1980. I spent my childhood in Bhutan. Due to political issues, me and my family came to Nepal in 1994 and we stayed there for 17 years in a refugee camp. I got education in the refugee camp. I worked as assistant shop keeper at the Lutheran World Federation for 4 years. After that I was a high school teacher for 4 years. In 2011 my family and I came to the US to settle down through the IOM program. I started work right away and I am working at UVM. I started to work at CVOEO in 2016 as Community Ambassador for the Nepali Community.

Bhagawat Pudyel (Nepali)

• Born in Bhutan and served as mailman, moved to Nepal in 1992
• Social worker and education field in Nepal
• Moved to the USA
• Currently employed by UVM

Interpreter at USCRI-VT - Nepali

Hawa Sheikh (Maay Maay)

My name is Hawa Sheikh, I am a Community Ambassador at CVOEO. I am from Somalia but I was born in Kenya, I came to the United States in 2004. We landed in Arizona and lived there for a while then moved to Buffalo, NY. I lived in Buffalo for many years with my parents and siblings but shortly after my wedding I moved to Vermont with husband to start a new life with him. I still live in Vermont with my 4 children and husband. My hobbies are: having fun with my little family, going out to eat, and going to fun places such as the beach.

Yasmin Mohamed (Somali and Maay Maay)

My name is Yasmin and I am currently employed at CVOEO. I was born in Somalia and raised in Kenya at a refugee camp. I came to Vermont in 2005 and got married and moved to Seattle with my husband and lived there for 3 years and came back to Vermont. Now I live in Vermont with my 5 amazing kids and my husband. Beside my job with CVOEO, I work as a community support at Howard Center, on-call interpreter at the Burlington School District, and as Somali Bantu community on-call interpreter.

Zeynab Kouyate (French)

My name is Zeynab kankou Kouyate. I'm from Guinea. I have a 5-year old daughter. I am a student at CCV and will be graduating soon. Only 3 classes left for me to graduate! My goal is to have a Master in Human Services.

Hadija Huwizeye (Swahili)

I consider myself to be a passionate community servant with the ability to motivate and inspire individuals in identifying their potential to continue and share this passion to serve others. With this ongoing quest to give, I have been able to promote significant, positive change in communities and individuals through advocacy, empowered by compassion. I take pride in engaging in a civically based approach to community building as I committed to a life-long service based on personal and professional experiences.

Lorena Neironi Rossi (Spanish)

Hola! My name is Lorena Neironi Rossi born and raised in the north of Argentina. I am a Lawyer graduated from UNNE ( Universidad Nacional del Nordeste). Once stablished in Vermont I worked for a local Bank for 10 years as a loan officer and left the position to raise my 3 kids. I continued my education with Business classes at CCV, got my Insurance License and worked in that field for 2 years. After that I pursued a long time dream and with my partner opened a Latin Catering food service that gave us the possibility to connect directly with our community, share our passion for food and introduce our culture. As a Community Ambassador is my goal to be able to serve the Spanish speaking communities and any other underrepresented/undeserved communities if needed. Muchas Gracias

Nagham Nasser (Arabic)

My name is Nagham Nasser; I have a B.A. in English Literature from Damascus University in Syria and a certificate in teaching English for young learners from the University of Oregon. I worked as an English teacher in elementary and middle schools in Syria. In 2012, I moved to the US. I work at the Burlington School District. Also I work as a Community Ambassador at CVOEO and an Arabic interpreter at AALV and USCRI.