I used to be an engineer and was very successful at my job, yet I felt like my life lacked a certain purpose. In 2019, with all that was happening in the world, I wanted to create a place for people to come together and share their stories with one another—to build community and to foster understanding of the refugee experience, as I too am a refugee.

Be Kinder Coffee came out of that uneasiness with the times and also after self reflection, and trust in taking that first step toward change. I wanted to be the change I want to see in the world. With this nonprofit, I created a safe and welcoming space for refugees and asylum seekers—offering employment, training, and education to help them prepare for the next steps in their American journey. Running a nonprofit is never easy, but witnessing how it uplifts and transforms the lives of our workers means everything to me. This is more than a job—it’s a purpose.

Our coffee shop is rooted in compassion and guided by a simple question: What if each of us helped make the person next to us feel connected, welcome, and safe? I believe a place like that would be the kind of community we all want to belong to.

We call ourselves Be Kinder because it’s about starting from where you are. We can always be just a little bit kinder—and through those small acts of kindness, we might even change someone’s life.