I was born and raised in an Italian-American family in the Boston area. I grew up attending a Unitarian Universalist church, where I participated in anti-war protests and social justice actions from childhood on. 

 

After attending Bard College in Upstate NY, I moved to Ramallah, Palestine where I was lucky enough to live for 8 years. I tutored students at Al Quds Bard University in English writing, where I helped start the inaugural student literary and arts magazine. 

 

I was also a Project Manager at a mobile technology startup in Ramallah, managing budgets and liaising between technology teams and clients. While in Palestine, a group of friends and I helped raise money for Gazan patients at a hospital in Jerusalem after Israel bombed Gaza in 2014. We felt passionately about giving cash directly to the patients, who could best determine their own needs in such a horrifying situation.

 

In 2017, I launched my business kenzwoman.com with my best friend in Palestine, a multi-brand online retailer selling lingerie and pajamas primarily in Saudi Arabia. I lead a team of people split between Palestine, Turkey, and the U.S. 

 

I moved back to Boston in 2020 and am grateful to have found the Inside the Sun community. I'm involved with ITS because I believe that "justice is a state of being", and deeply appreciate our collaborative structure as an organization and our shared drive to support the material needs and overall well-being of our community.