In a time when division often dominates headlines, Hanna Jazmin Jaff Bosdet represents something different — connection.
Born on November 4, 1986, in San Diego, California, and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, the American-Mexican-Kurd humanitarian has built her life’s mission around education, empathy, and equality.
Her story is one of boundaries crossed — geographical, cultural, and social — and of a life spent proving that unity is not an ideal, but an achievable reality.
Roots at the Border
Hanna grew up between two worlds, attending Saint John’s Episcopal Elementary School and University of San Diego High School (now Cathedral Catholic High School). Those early experiences between the U.S. and Mexico shaped her sensitivity to migration, belonging, and opportunity.
She pursued an education that mirrored her international upbringing — earning degrees from National University (California), Harvard University, Columbia University, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and La Sorbonne University of Paris.
With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Master’s in Arts, and minors in Political Science and Criminal Justice, Hanna grounded her humanitarian drive in both intellect and empathy.
A Voice in Public Life
Hanna’s public journey began with service. Since 2013, she has held roles such as Undersecretary of Relations with Civil Society, Undersecretary of Immigrants, National Secretary of Social Management for the Youth Network for Mexico, and National General Secretary of the Revolutionary Youth Expression in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
She later became a Federal Congress candidate for the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico, where she advocated for education reform, immigrant protection, and youth inclusion.
Her approach to politics has always been guided by humanity — using her platform to connect, not to compete.
Education as Empowerment
In June 2013, Hanna founded the Jaff Foundation for Education, a nonprofit organization rooted in a simple belief: learning changes lives.
What began as a small initiative to teach English to immigrants has grown into an international network of over 7,000 volunteers, hosting more than 180 charity events and impacting over 120,000 people.
The foundation not only provides free English education to refugees and low-income communities, but also leads campaigns promoting non-discrimination, peace, and inclusion.
For Hanna, teaching English isn’t just about language — it’s about giving people the tools to belong.
Humanitarian Work Beyond Borders
Driven by her Kurdish heritage and compassion for displaced families, Hanna has personally volunteered in refugee camps in Iraq and Kurdistan, teaching English and donating thousands of her own books.
In 2013, she organized the first Kurdish Cultural Festival in Mexico, drawing 80,000 people over four days — a historic celebration of cultural coexistence.
Her humanitarian philosophy is embodied in her global initiative, the We Are One Campaign, launched in 2017. The movement combines fashion and activism, using clothing as a medium to spread messages of unity and equality.
Each purchase funds the donation of English-learning materials to immigrants, refugees, or the less fortunate — a tangible link between awareness and action.
Author and Global Speaker
Hanna is also a writer and educator, authoring a self-taught English learning book for Spanish speakers, later translated into Purepecha and Kurdish. To date, she has donated over 22,000 copies across multiple countries, empowering students from Peru to Iraq.
Her impact extends beyond the written page. She has delivered three TEDx Talks and spoken at more than 80 universities and institutions around the world, sharing insights on human rights, migration, peace, and global citizenship.
She writes daily — poems, quotes, and reflections — a lifelong habit she began at 14. For Hanna, writing is both memory and mission, a way to preserve hope in ink.
From Screen to Global Stage
In 2018, Hanna appeared in Netflix’s Made in Mexico, a series broadcast in 190 countries and 22 languages.
While many saw it as entertainment, Hanna viewed it as opportunity — a platform to highlight her message that empathy and culture can coexist with modern influence.
Her work has earned global recognition:
- Forbes Mexico (2019 & 2021): Named among the 100 Most Powerful Women in Mexico.
- Woman of Distinction (USA, 2020): Honored for community activism in California’s 78th Assembly District.
- St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland (2016): Selected among 200 Leaders of Tomorrow under 30.
- Kurdistan Garmiyan Regional Government (2014): Appointed Honorary Representative of Garmiyan in Latin America.
Beyond her public work, Hanna is married and the proud mother of two children. She balances her global commitments with her family life, finding in motherhood a deeper motivation to continue her mission of building a more compassionate, inclusive, and united world.
A Lasting Message of Unity
Hanna Jaff’s life bridges continents, causes, and communities. Her career is not defined by titles or appearances, but by action — quiet, persistent, and global.
She believes that education is peace in progress, and that tolerance is learned the same way language is — one word, one lesson, one generation at a time.
In her words and in her work, Hanna carries a message the world urgently needs to remember:
“We are one humanity — and our shared compassion is the only border that should
