Aesop
Oumar Adam, MSW
In 2008, at just 12 years old, Oumar Hassaballah left his home in Central Africa and moved to New York City. Like many immigrants, he arrived with hope in his heart—but also fear. Everything was unfamiliar: the language, the people, the place. It was a feeling he would never forget. His father had been living in NYC for seven years before Oumar joined him, but even with family by his side, the challenges of starting over in a new country were immense. Oumar remembers the long waits for translation services—sometimes sitting in offices for over five hours, only to be turned away and told, “Come back another day.” These moments stayed with him. He saw firsthand how difficult it was for immigrants and refugees to access the services they needed.
Oumar graduated from Bronx International High School in 2014 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, concentrating in Child and Adolescent Development, from Buffalo State College in 2018. His passion for helping others led him to continue his education, earning a master’s in social work from Daemen College in 2022. Through his work with children and families, Oumar witnessed time and again how refugee communities were underserved. Determined to make a difference, in 2025, he co-founded the Western New York Refugee Access Center—a space rooted in compassion and shaped by his lived experience. With this center, Oumar brought his vision to life, dedicating himself fully to uplifting and empowering his community.
Asma Syed
Asma Syed is an experienced educator with a passion for teaching English as a new language and supporting refugee resettlement in Buffalo, NY. With 15 years of teaching experience in high schools and colleges, she currently serves as an English as a new language teacher at Lafayette International Community High School and teaches EDU 201 and EDU 416 at Buffalo State College in the Department of Elementary Education, Literacy, and Educational Leadership.
Mrs. Syed's commitment to language education extends beyond the United States. She has also worked as an English as a foreign language professor in Saudi Arabia. Her educational journey began with a bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology from the State University of NY at Buffalo. She furthered her knowledge and expertise by obtaining a master's degree in international relations from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She launched their first Global International Relations study abroad program and studied abroad in Austria, Switzerland, England and the Netherlands.
To expand her understanding of global issues, Mrs. Syed completed a certificate program in International Women's Health and Human Rights from Stanford University. Delving deeper into language education, she earned a master's degree in teaching English to the speakers of other languages from Niagara University. In her pursuit of professional development, Mrs. Syed obtained a TESOL Certificate from Oxford seminars, specializing in Teaching Business English. She also possesses a certificate in "The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking" from Harvard, an online learning initiative by Harvard University. Her doctoral research focus is on replacing the NY state Regents exams with Portfolio Assessment for the English Language Learners at Lafayette International Community High School.
Beyond her teaching role, Mrs. Syed actively contributes to her community by volunteering in different refugee resettlement organizations. Her dedication to refugee resettlement and empowering newly arrived refugees and immigrants with English language skills shines through her commitment to volunteering.
Through her extensive educational background and diverse teaching experience, Asma Syed continues to inspire and transform the lives of her students, especially those who are navigating new cultures and languages.
She is a mother of three beautiful kids-two girls and one boy, and she has two fur babies. She loves to write poetry, shop and travel the world.
