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Contributors

Liz Jevtic-Somlai

Director of Education

Liz currently resides in the Phoenix area, Arizona, and has lived in many places. Even in her youth, she understood that education has the power to better lives and loves to learn. She holds a BA in International Relations, a BA and a MA in German/Holocaust Studies, as well as a Ph.D. in International Conflict Analysis. She is a passionate advocate for human rights, more specifically minority, refugee, women, and children’s rights, and has presented, researched, and published much on the topic of long-term (re-)integration.

She comes to TSOS with extensive professional experience in operations and policy planning at the U.N. level, in curriculum and course development in higher education, as well as for grassroots. As a refugee herself, Liz knows that trials are part of the journey and that life is precious. True to her roots, Liz is always ready for a good laugh, loves engaging young minds in meaningful discussions, spending time with her family, and embracing new cultures, people, and food.

Arizona
Elsewhere
Jevtic Somlai Elizabeta
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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