Executive Team
Selin Yildiz Nielsen, Ph.D.
Founder & President
SYN@hmir.org
Dr. Selin Yildiz Nielsen, with a career in international education, refugee advocacy, and global engagement, serves as the Founder and President of the Human Migration Institute, and a Professor of Global Studies. Born in Ankara, Turkey, Dr. Nielsen and her family immigrated to California in 1987, where she later earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of California, Riverside. She then co-founded Glocally Connected, that gave way to establishing Human Migration Institute.
With a career spanning three decades, Dr. Nielsen has held roles as a director, professor, coordinator, manager, instructor, and consultant in global education. She has shared her knowledge through teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and gave numerous presentations and guest lectures throughout the world.
Dr. Nielsen's commitment to refugee causes commenced in Iowa in 2009, where she led a project for the Human Rights Commission for education of displaced people. Her impactful initiatives extended to providing trauma management to teachers in Syrian refugee camps in Southeast Turkey. As the leading figure of HMI, Dr. Nielsen has organized the establishment of numerous international aid programs, passionately advocating for refugees worldwide. Notably, she has contributed to the education of refugee girls both locally and internationally establishing scholarships for several disadvantaged girls. Dr. Nielsen is now serving as the chair of Scholars at Risk at University of California, Riverside.
A seasoned speaker and advocate, Dr. Nielsen has addressed the United Nations Headquarters twice, speaking on the critical issues surrounding the education of refugee women and girls. Currently, she plays a key role in overseeing both local and international operations and strategically planning the growth of HMI.
Dr. Nielsen's scholarly contributions include numerous articles, book chapters, and the co-authored book "Encounters in the Turkey-Syria Borderland." This work explores the touching stories of refugees at the onset of the Syrian crisis. In 2022, she published in Nature magazine with an article titled "Telemental health provides much-needed support for refugees" (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01366-y), emphasizing the importance of immediate mental health support to prevent PTSD among displaced populations.
Hsin-Yu Teresa Hsu-Contreras
Academic & Outreach Director / RCRECSH Grant Project Director
teresahhc@hmir.org
Hsin-Yu Teresa Hsu-Contreras is the Academic and Outreach Director of Human Migration Institute, as well as the RCRECSH Grant Program Director. She participates in HMI with an advanced TESOL certificate and an M.Ed degree with a TESOL emphasis from the University of California, Riverside.
Since 2017, Teresa has been an active instructor at the Glocally Connected/HMI Community ESL Program. Her community building experiences also include serving as the lead coordinator of K-6 Summer Program in 2017, for which she assisted GC/HMI in partnering with the Riverside Art Museum and the Salinas and Coyotes: Instruction in Poetry and Prose from California State University San Bernardino. Meanwhile, Teresa and colleagues worked with the ESL students and published Taste of Afghanistan, a cookbook consisting of recipes for traditional Afghani dishes as well as artworks and poems written by the younger generations.
In 2020, Teresa transitioned into an administrative staff member, where she continued her position to design curriculums for the ongoing Community ESL Program. Furthermore, with her position as the RCRECSH Project Director, Teresa leads and collaborates with program staff members to provide educational and life skill training programs, responding to the needs from the target community.
Sedef Altug
HR Coordinator
HR@hmir.org
Sedef Altug was born in Riverside, California. Her family and she moved to Turkey, where she completed her education. She received her BA degree in Law in 2018 and her LLM degree in 2019 in Turkey. She has been a member of the Ankara Bar Association as a fully accredited lawyer since 2019.
During her college years, she worked on The Sun Will Rise For You Project. The project was prepared for competition within the Ankara Bar Association and received third place. This project raises awareness of babies and small children residing in prison because of their parents' imprisonment. The result of the project is that the babies and young children residing in prison are introduced to an outside environment by volunteer lawyers and child psychologists.
She moved to Orange County, California in 2019 and worked with immigration lawyers. In this position, she was responsible for client management and composing, revising, and submitting legal documents. She has been actively advocating on behalf of immigrants and refugees worldwide since then.
In her current role, she aims to make a big impact by building the capacity to enable Human Migration Institute’s continued work of providing integrated services to refugees.
Melis Yurdakul
Executive Assistant
MY@hmir.org
Academic & Outreach Coordinators
Friba Dawar
Cultural & Community Liaison
FD@hmir.org
Friba Dawar is an asylum seeker from Afghanistan who has great ambitions in dedicating herself to promote education, wellbeing, and social justice for women and the Afghan community.
Prior to settling in Riverside County, her career in Afghanistan led her to work as an Education and Preventive Health Trainer, Academic Manager, and School Principal, which have helped countless students, especially women, to receive a high-quality education in a safe and supportive environment.
Throughout her life, Friba has demonstrated a strong and effective leadership style, inspiring those around her to work towards positive impact. In 2022, Friba was acknowledged as the Cultural & Community Liaison, enabling her commitment to social justice and equity. She continues to promote the rights of marginalized groups in Riverside County to this day.
Marcelino Peña
Coordinator for the Riverside Area
MP@hmir.org
Marcelino Peña is the Academic & Outreach Coordinator who supports leading the delivery of Math Literacy curriculum using a variety of modalities; surveys, Common Core Math skill proficiency assessments, project based instruction and tutoring; managing and training Academic & Outreach Assistants and program volunteers for refugee students enrolled in math literacy classes. He participates in Human Migration Institute with 20+ years of domestic and international logistics operations and supply chain management, an MA degree in Demographic and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine. Marcelino’s career in education includes 10+ years tutoring for private companies for middle and high school students in Los Angeles and has started their own math tutoring company in 2019 working with primarily adult learners returning to community college. Currently he is also an Adjunct Instructor in data analysis and mathematics for a vocational college serving primary veterans across the country.
He envisions a Math Literacy program that will empower students to become proficient math solvers as a stepping stone for their own personal development in pursuit of their success.
Leen Kawas
Coordinator (Hybrid)
LK@hmir.org
Ahmad Zaki Ludin
Assistant Coordinator
AZL@hmir.org
Ahmad Zaki Ludin is an experienced Mathematics Assistant Professor who has Recently migrated from Afghanistan due to political turbulence and security threats. He has educational background in Mathematics, Statistics and taught College Algebra, Business Mathematics, Business statistics and Inferential statistics in over 17 years of his teaching career. Ahmad is also founder of an educational enterprise which targets girls education and promotes equal educational opportunities for the girls and women in his community back home. He has conducted several research studies and has compiled his research gains into 12 booklets. The booklet series is titled “Mathematics Soul of Sciences” ready to be published. Some of Mr. Ludin’s publications could be found in Zarakhsh Educational Magazine which is a local magazine in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ahmad has a passion for teaching and he is a sole believer in mathematics being the bases of all sciences and the universe. Mr. Zaki is a family man and enjoys the company of his wife and two precious daughters. He loves to read, research and compile educational materials with an objective to make learning easy and fun for students of all levels.
Communication & Media Team
Sienna Allison Severns
Media & Outreach Coordinator
SAS@hmir.org
Leila Makar
UCR MESC Student Assistant
LM@hmir.org
Sienna Allison Severns is the Communication and Media Outreach Coordinator at Human Migration Institute. In her current role she aims to make a big impact working to educate the public about the reality of newcomers to the U.S. by dispelling myths about refugees, secure critical partnerships with fellow organizations and media outlets, create an enticing and educational social media feed, and ensure the most efficient mode of all internal and external communication for HMI.
Allison is a graduate of the University of Copenhagen where she holds an M.A. in Cognition and Communication where she research the perceptions of Syrian and Ukrainian refugees in Denmark. She also holds a B.A. in Public Relations, with an emphasis in Nonprofit Organizational Studies and Communication from the University of Oklahoma. She has conducted field work in Izmir, Turkey, as a part of HMI’s teddy bear project, delivering stuffed animals and essential supplies to a settlement of Syrian refugees. She enjoys traveling and design, and has a deep commitment to pursuing a world that is equitable and more just for all.