Meet the Board
Asma Abdi
Asma Abdi is a first-generation Somali American born and raised in San Diego. She currently serves as the Senior Community Advocacy Coordinator at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), where she strengthens partnerships across Southern California to advance health equity, facilitates a coalition with Community Health Workers, Promotores, and Representatives (CHWPR), cultivates partnerships, and coordinates advocacy with programmatic support. Asma was a 2025 San Diego Leadership Alliance Fellow.
Sarah Farouq
Sarah Farouq is a local community organizer and activist. As an organizer, Sarah has organized and advocated in the fields of economic, immigration, and criminal injustice in the San Diego region, statewide, and nationally. Currently, Sarah holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley and is in the process of pursuing a law degree to practice law and work as a legal advocate. Beside community work, Sarah enjoys the company of family, friends, and her two cats!
Aleen Jendian
Aleen Jendian, a first-generation Armenian American, is an educator at Helix High School, where she serves as the English Department Chair, mentors new teachers, and, most favorably, works with high school students as they strengthen their critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Additionally, she is a teacher representative of the Helix Charter Board.
Debbie Justeson
Debbie Justeson is a lifelong educator who has devoted her career to education. After retiring from the California K-12 Education System after 38 years of service, she continues her teaching as a lecturer for the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University. Debbie believes that education is the best pathway out of poverty; thus, she is devoted to promoting higher education to East County youth and their families.
Khadijah
Khadijah is a local community organizer and activist. As an organizer, Khadijah has organized and advocated in the fields of youth justice, education and electoral justice in the San Diego region, statewide, and nationally. Currently, Khadijah holds a Bachelors in Community and Regional Development.
Suaad Nour
Suaad Nour is a J.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley and is originally from San Diego, California. She is passionate about advocacy, equity, and using the law as a tool to expand access to justice. She has previously worked with reentry and parole advocacy organizations, supporting indigent clients through research, post-conviction relief efforts, and litigation support.
Sami Ortoleva
Sami Ortoleva is a Queer Muslim Palestinian community member involved in intersectional community building and advocacy work bridging various ethnic, religious, and gender and sexual minority communities. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from UC San Diego, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara and Purdue University, respectively. His personal experiences in the overlapping Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities inform his work at Borderlands for Equity.
Dr. Odilka Santiago
Dr. Odilka Santiago is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego. Born and raised in New York City, she received her Ph.D in Sociology from SUNY Binghamton University. Her work focuses on housing justice, critical criminology, policing and racial surveillance. Dr. Santiago is trained as a historical sociologist and ethnographer, whose work focuses on New York City and California.
Amina Smati
Amina Smati is a first-generation Algerian American student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Political Science. She spends much of her time on youth education and mentorship, from teaching Arabic at her local Islamic center to supporting elementary students in Oakland schools, believing that investing in young people is at the core of building stronger, more equitable communities. After college, she intends to pursue a law degree, hoping to work at the intersection of policy and community advocacy.
Erin Wen Ai Chew
Erin Wen Ai Chew is an anti-racism advocate, writer and social activist. She is a co-founder and director for the Asian Australian Alliance (AAA), which is a platform that elevates the Asian Australian voice and issues. Erin holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Masters degree in Human Rights from Curtin University. Erin was a 2021 recipient of the Asian Australian 40 Under 40 Most Influential award. In San Diego, she works as a freelance writer for Asian American media and covers Asian American entertainment and relevant social issues.